Si Chi and Hou Fu lifted up the curtains and saw several men in leather armor standing at the gate of the city, blocking their way.
But the soldiers guarding the city were leaning down from the city wall to look down at this moment. The scene was silent, and everyone was holding torches and watching them.
Obviously, they were also at a loss.
The prisoner jumped off the carriage and bowed in salute.
"Everyone, since I have decided to run away, I would like to ask you to do it for your convenience!"
In the crowd, someone suddenly said:
"Master Hou wants to leave, we won't stop him."
"But we are now ready to surrender to the Shusun family, and you, my lord, are still wearing the Shusun family's leather jackets. If the Shusun family is convicted in the future, I am afraid that I and other villains will not be able to bear it!"
"Your Excellency, you also know that the Shusun family has no good impressions of me, Li Ren, so how can we dare not to serve them carefully?"
"Please Sir Hou, please don't embarrass us and return the leather jacket you are wearing."
Si Chi also got off the carriage at this time. Seeing this, the prisoner stepped forward to help him. After Si Chi stood still, he said:
"Why do you go so far? Although we wore a few pairs of armors, it was just to prevent us from encountering bandits when we went out. Moreover, none of the leather armors we wore had the mark of Shusun's family, so what? Will it bring you trouble? It’s obvious that you are adding insult to injury and deliberately making things difficult for me!”
At this time, another person in the crowd said:
"No, absolutely not! We must be sure before we can let you go! Otherwise, if the Shusun family is really blamed, wouldn't we be in a bad situation?!"
It's no wonder, after all, these Chinese people are now afraid that the Shusun family will settle their scores. Therefore, it is completely reasonable to treat the prisoners and others so coldly and unreasonably.
And the prisoner Hou couldn't help but feel anxious at this time. After all, the troops of Lu State are now stationed not far outside the city. Once they know the situation here, they will definitely send people to take over Liyi immediately.
At that time, if the prisoner wanted to run away again, he might not even have the chance.
Si Chi saw Hou Feng's eagerness and said:
"Sir, why don't you go first? I'll stay and do the counting. It just so happens that the family members of Li Nao picking up Chi haven't arrived yet! Chi Ye can wait for them!"
The prisoner Hou held Si Chi's hand and said:
"This... Brother Chi... you defected to me, but you still put Brother Chi in danger. But... what should you do if the Lu people come?"
Si Chi originally wanted to have a showdown with Hou Feng, but when he saw Hou Feng's true love for him, he couldn't bear it:
"Brother Fu, it's rare for you and me to get to know each other. Since today's situation is like this, let Chi do something more for Brother Fu! Brother Fu, please leave quickly. The people of Lu already hate you. It goes to the bone, if you stay here for a moment longer, you will be in more danger. I, Si Chi, am from a humble background, so there is really nothing to worry about. Brother Feng, there is no need to worry about Chi."
The prisoner Hou was moved and said:
"Brother Chi, if you do this, take the first step. I hope Brother Chi can catch up as soon as possible!"
Si Chi couldn't help crying, he even felt a little sorry for him.
However, he then thought that if he continued to resist, his final outcome would not be good.
Moreover, it will bring greater harm to Lu State and even the world.
Now that the prisoner can run away from Qi State, maybe the rest of his life will be dull, but this can be regarded as a good ending.
For the sake of the righteousness in his heart, Si Chi did not hesitate to harm himself, put his family in danger, and even sacrificed the righteousness of his friends. Is it all worth it?
Maybe the answer is different.
But for Si Chi, he obviously felt it was worth it.
The prisoner got into the carriage and said goodbye reluctantly.
Si Chi, on the other hand, stayed to count the leather armor. After releasing the prisoners, their families, and the soldiers who were willing to follow the prisoners, Si Chi closed the city gate.
As for Li Nao, he said that he was going to escort Si Chi's wife and children, but in fact he took them out of their residence and came to a safe place in Li Yi for resettlement.
The Li people and Si Chi were waiting for the arrival of the Lu people very calmly.
…
At dawn, Shusun's army arrived indeed, and the city gate of Liyi opened in response.
Shusun and Kongqiu finally got their wish and won the hard nut of Pi Yi.
Confucius came here specially to deal with the funeral affairs. In fact, this was also to prevent Shusun from entering the city alone and fearing ill will towards the Li people.
Therefore, as the chief military officer, Confucius had to come to "reconcile" the matter.
Li Ran, escorted by Gong Eryue and Chu Dang, also entered the city together.
After all, this is the first victory of their so-called "Pun Sandu Plan".
Although its progress was once unsatisfactory due to Hou Prisoner's stubborn persistence, fortunately, the result was good after all.
Confucius and Li Ran entered the residence of Yi Zai, and Zilu had now become the Ji family's household minister, so he came here on behalf of the Ji family to check on the situation of Yi Yi.
Seeing that there were no other people around, Li Ran said:
"Although this operation suffered some setbacks, it was fortunate that there was no danger. And such a fuss can be regarded as a good thing!"
When Confucius heard what Li Ran said, he couldn't help but ask:
"Oh? Why did my benefactor say this?"
Li Ran smiled slightly and said:
"If the difficulty of Pyi is too easy, how can we make Shusun Zhou Qiu determined to fall from the wall of Pyi? And how can we make the Meng family and the Ji family see the danger of not losing it! Haha, they two I should be feeling uneasy now, right?"
Confucius nodded:
"What my benefactor said is true. In fact, Ji Sunsi has even found Qiu before, expressing his concern about Gongshan Buhuang. Next...should we attack Fei Yi?"
Zilu said:
"Lord Jisun once told Zhong Yu this. Zhong You didn't comment at first, but later, he analyzed the dangers of Fei Yi for him according to the wishes of the respected master and sir. Although Lord Jisun was not there yet, I’m determined, but it’s obviously wavering!”
Confucius seemed quite excited when he heard what his disciple said:
"Very good! Now it is imperative to demolish the city walls of Liyi. Then, it will be the turn of Ji's Feiyi and Meng's Chengyi!"
"And if we talk about the urgency, it is naturally the Ji family's side that is more urgent. After all, the rebellion of the family has happened many times in the Ji family's history. In Feiyi alone, there have been Nannan rebellions before. Kuai’s lessons learned from the past. In addition, Zilu is now in charge of the Ji family, so if you want to convince Ji Sunsi about this matter, it will not be difficult!"
Obviously, Confucius had great confidence in the prospects of Lu.
Confucius always believed that once he could successfully use the "Sandu" to weaken the power of Sanhuan. Then, the pain and suffering of the Lu Kingdom that lasted for five lifetimes will be gone forever.
And he, Confucius, might really be able to revive the rule of Zhou rites in this ancient oriental homeland!
And he, Confucius and Kong Zhongni, can shine in the annals of history!
"Hey...if the late emperor has a soul in heaven, he would be extremely happy to see such a scene!"
At this time, Confucius thought of Lu Zhaogong again, the king of Lu who was kind to him and who was willing to risk his own life in order to get rid of the checks and balances of the Three Huans.
Every time Confucius thought about his death in a foreign land and the humiliation he suffered, he couldn't help but feel sad.
Li Ran suddenly felt sad when he saw Confucius like this.
After all, when it comes to his feelings for Lu Zhaogong, Li Ran is obviously more complicated than Confucius.
What's more, he couldn't help but think of his late wife, Ji Le, and his good brother Owl Wings.
When Zilu saw this, he said without missing a moment:
"Zhong You will go and investigate around now and report the situation in Liyi to Ji Sunsi!"
Confucius came back to his senses and nodded to his disciple:
"Well, Zhong You, let's go now!"
Zilu surrendered, and then Confucius and Li Ran met Si Chi and Li Luo one after another. The two of them can be said to have made the greatest contribution to winning the city of Li this time.
Confucius also said that he would find a suitable opportunity to commend his achievements in front of the king and reward them both.
Li Nao readily agreed and thanked him separately.
But Si Chi politely declined immediately. He just wants to live peacefully with his family for the rest of his life and not to be involved in worldly affairs.
After all, if Si Chi wanted glory and wealth, how could he get over the hurdle in his heart?
Both Confucius and Li Ran knew what he was thinking, so they naturally agreed with him.
Si Chi, on the other hand, left Li Yi with his family and disappeared...
Later, after Confucius and Li Ran appeased the people of Li Yi, Shusun Zhouqiu led Shusun's private army into Li Yi.
In fact, this is also the first time he has been able to inspect Liyi after he succeeded to the position of sect leader.
Patrolling this area, he should have arrived at his "homeland" long ago.
And when he was about to enter the city and looked at the tall city wall from a distance, he couldn't help but fall into deep thought...
——
Chapter 642_Tian Qi’s conspiracy
Yousi of Qi State, after being driven out of the city by the people of Li Yi, returned to Qi State in disgrace and resumed his life.
When Chujiu, the Marquis of Qi, heard the news, he couldn't help but became furious. He slapped the table and everything on the table was shocked.
Seeing that the cooked duck actually flew away, he was extremely dissatisfied with it.
In the main hall, all the Dukes and ministers of Qi State did not dare to say anything. Only Tian Qi spoke from the side:
"Your Majesty, after all, the prisoner is from a humble background. Although he has the skills to defend the city, his thinking is too simple. I heard that he has defected to our country of Qi recently and has entered the country!"
Qihou Chujiu stared.
"Hmph! This guy actually has the face to surrender? How shameless! What's the use of him coming to Qi State now? Why not just let him commit suicide and die!"
Hearing this, Guo Xia quickly said:
"Your Majesty, I'm afraid it would be inappropriate to kill those who have fled to seek refuge..."
Of course Chujiu, the Marquis of Qi, knew this, and he was just complaining because he didn't get the land.
"Hmph! How could I not know this? If I kill him, I might lose the best talents in the world in the future! However, he is so incompetent that I will lose my land in pain. This man has no merit, so how can I not be annoyed?"
"Forget it! Let him find a place to live on his own! I don't want to see this person!"
Hearing the anger of the Marquis of Qi, there was silence in the main hall for a while.
Just listen to Tian Qi say again at this time:
"Your Majesty, although the prisoners are incompetent, after all, Li Yi is far away from Qi, so it is not a pity to lose it."
"I believe that the biggest enemy now is Kong Zhongni! Since Kong Zhongni came to power in the Lu State, the hearts of the people of the Lu State have been united. Now he has recaptured the city of Li for the Shusun family. The hearts of the three states have united. And with Li Ran and Li Ziming helping us from the side, I am afraid that the Lu State will become Qi State’s innermost thorn in the future!”
Upon hearing this, the Marquis of Qi looked at the ministers in the palace and couldn't help but sigh:
"You all misunderstood me... How could Confucius be so capable? If I could have kept him for use in Qi, how would we be in today's situation?!"
When Tian Qi heard this, he heard that Qi Hou Chujiu seemed to be complaining, so he quickly continued:
"Kong Zhongni is indeed quite capable. And Li Ziming is a genius who can shake up the world on his own! Nowadays, powerful countries are close to each other, so your Majesty needs to make plans early."
Qi Hou Chujiu frowned.
"Oh? What preparations are you making?"
Tian Qi thought for a while and said:
"You can write a letter directly to the State of Lu, saying that your Majesty will meet with the Marquis of Lu to discuss major issues between the two countries. In recent years, Qi and Lu have been at odds with each other, and wars have continued, which is definitely not a good thing for the people of the two countries. If the Marquis of Lu does not If you dare to see it, it is Luhou’s fault!”
"When the time comes to raise an army to investigate the crime, we can also make a name for ourselves! But if the Marquis of Lu is willing to come to meet us, we should put the interests of our Qi State first and ask him to sign an alliance with the Marquis of Lu, so that the Lu State will be attached to our Qi State!"
When Qi Hou Chujiu heard this, he was silent for a while.
Guo Xia said at this time:
"Although Qilu has had constant disputes in recent years, most of them are just minor quarrels, and in the end most of them are settled."
"Doing this... may hurt the harmony between the two countries. If such a provocation angers the Marquis of Lu, I'm afraid it will be inappropriate!"
Tian Qi narrowed his eyes:
"What's wrong? Is it possible that our country of Qi is still afraid of his country of Lu?"
Qi Hou Chujiu also sighed:
"It's just... Ruo Lu country still refuses to surrender to our Qi country, but what can we do about it?"
After all, Qi Hou Chujiu was old. Although he was ambitious, he no longer had the courage.
If it comes to a life-and-death fight with Lu, he will inevitably shrink back.
Tian Qi knew very well what Chujiu, the Marquis of Qi, was thinking, and immediately said:
"Your Majesty wants to plot the world, and the State of Lu is an insurmountable gap for our State of Qi. Now, in addition to Li Ziming's help, Kong Zhongni also has many disciples who perform their own duties. Zhong Yuan, Min Ziqian and others, They are all great talents who can stand alone. And Duanmu Ci is even more of a genius among merchants."
"Once the State of Lu becomes stronger under the control of Kong Zhongni, even if it does not appear today, it may endanger the future of our State of Qi! Your Majesty must not leave this disaster to future generations!"
When Qi Hou Chujiu heard this, he couldn't help but sit up straight.
"Well... what Tian Qing said is true. I will give Luhou an edict. Whether he comes or not depends on whether Luhou has the courage!"
Qi Hou Chujiu ordered people to draw up an edict on the spot, and invited him to come to Qi State for alliance in the tone of the country of the uncle.
But as soon as he started, Qi Hou Chujiu raised his head and asked:
"It's just... where is the best place to meet?"
In fact, Tian Qi had already planned this and said:
"Jiagu is located between Qi and Lu. Your Majesty can choose to form an alliance with the Marquis of Lu here!"
When Qi Hou Chujiu heard this, he hesitated a little:
"Where?...That's where Lai Ren is..."
Tian Qi said without thinking:
"The Lai people have already been surrendered by Qi State, so what is there to worry about?"
Tian Qi's tone no longer had much patience. Qi Hou Chujiu was slightly startled. Although he heard this, he was not angry and only said:
"Okay, let's settle in Jiagu!"
As Qi Hou Chujiu spoke, he ordered people to draw up an edict, stamped it with the Qi Hou seal, and sent envoys to the Lu State.
…
After going to court, Tian Qi returned to his mansion and summoned Shu Niu to discuss matters.
Zhu Niu didn't know what was going on. After he arrived and saluted, he asked:
"What are your orders, sir?"
I saw Tian Qi stroking his beard quite proudly:
"Not long ago, you proposed that your Majesty and the Marquis of Lu should meet, and I have already agreed on it at the court meeting. Your Majesty has already sent an edict to the State of Lu, and the place has been set at Jiagu!"
"Shu Niu, you can arrange to go down and get ready!"
Shuniu's eyes lit up, but he quickly calmed down:
"Where is Nalu...?"
Tian Qi couldn't help but sneer:
"Oh, it's not like they didn't come just because they didn't want to. Now we, the Qi State, are the leaders of the Eastern Jin Alliance. If we don't obey this edict, then we, the Qi State, will be able to make a famous attack on the Lu State with Wei and Zheng!"
"But if they dare to come... then they can kidnap the Marquis of Lu on the spot, subdue Confucius and Li Ran, and take them to Qi as hostages. In this way, the world can be settled!"
After listening to Shu Niu, he was a little confused for a moment:
"Oh? Why do you expect that Li Ran will also come?"
Tian Qi raised the corner of his mouth slightly and said with disdain:
"Haha, how can I not recognize people? Since Li Ran has appeared in Liyi and is my old enemy in secret, now that I am going to Jiagu, how can he not come?"
"Li Ran, I have only heard of his name before. Speaking of being an enemy head-on, this is the first time now. Haha, it just so happens that I can see what he can do!"
Speaking of the secret walkers, Shu Niu has actually followed many people, from Feng Duan to Ji Sun Yiru, and then to Fan Yang. But the Tian Qi in front of him gave him a different feeling.
First of all, Tian Qi's reputation in Qi State is excellent. He neither competes with the people like Feng Duan or others, nor is he self-reliant and arrogant like Fan Yang.
Therefore, the people supported Tian Qi, and Qi Hou Chujiu had great trust in Tian Qi. It is only at this specific time that Tian Qi's murderous intent hidden deep in the depths will be revealed.
Secondly, Tian Qi's control over people's hearts is indeed better.
When Shu Niu heard this, he immediately replied:
"In that case, let's go to Jiagu and get ready!"
Tian Qi waved his hand again, stopped him and said:
"This matter is not urgent. Let's wait until there is news from Marquis Lu."
Then, Tian Qi raised his eyebrows again and said:
"Go and call Li Hoe."
Shu Niu went out immediately and called Li Hoe.
Li hoe was also a senior official in Qi State, but he was connected with Tian Qi and became Tian Qi's lackey.
In fact, in the Qi State today, there are definitely not a few officials like Li Ho who have become Tian Qi Ni's legs.
After all, on the one hand Tian Qi is a popular figure in the dynasty. On the other hand, Tian Qi's money-making ability is by no means limited.
Li Ho came and saluted him, and Tian Qi asked:
"Li hoe, what do you think of Kong Zhongni of Lu?"
When Li Xie heard Tian Qi ask him this question, he immediately handed over his hands and replied:
"Kong Zhongni is just a Confucian scholar who knows etiquette but has no courage. He is nothing at all. At that time, the emperor wanted to use him more, but later regretted it, and this man did not dare to say a word for himself. This shows that this man is really No words!"
"However, this person is now in charge of the Lu State and may be an enemy of our Qi State. Your Excellency, we should take action as soon as possible to avoid future troubles!"
(End of chapter)
