When Ye Xu (Shen Yinxu) saw that the chaos in eastern Jin Dynasty had subsided, he did not delay and returned to Chu State to resume his duties.
After all, the Chu State has not long been restored, and is facing serious internal and external troubles.
For example, the grandson of King Ping of Chu, the son of the former Crown Prince Jian, is still in the white land on the border between Wu and Chu, looking for sex and causing trouble with the support of Wu State.
The reason why Ye Xu came to Xiang to help Jin this time was not only to return a favor to Li Ran, but also to achieve chaos in Zheng, befriend Jin, and frighten Qi.
Only in this way can Chu State have a relatively stable condition to make up for the various big holes in the past.
After everything calmed down, Zhao Yang finally returned to Jiangcheng and met Li Ran.
"What should we do next? Please tell me sir."
Li Ran smiled and said:
"Haha, according to the general's wishes, what should we do?"
Zhao Yang said:
"We must go all out to capture Handan, quell the civil strife in Jin, and then purge the government and the public. The remnants of the Fan family, Liang Yingfu and others are really hateful, and we must deal with them all together!"
When Li Ran heard this, he smiled slightly, shook his head and said calmly:
"Of course the general's idea is right, but Handan is no longer the priority right now. The general only needs to order a general to surround it. If Handan cannot be defeated, internal chaos will inevitably occur! At that time, the general can just sit back and take advantage of the situation. If we let the people rest and recuperate at that time, Handan will be stable!"
"As for purging the government and the people, although what the general said is not unreasonable, the people of the Jin Dynasty and the people are also determined. The general is taking advantage of the great victory, so he might as well take this opportunity to seize the big ones and let go of the small ones, and rectify the country's policy. want!"
"The ministers in the world have disrespected the emperor for a long time! Why don't the generals take this as an opportunity to serve as the marquis of Jin to the emperor? If this can be done, the Jin country will be greatly settled, and the world will also be greatly settled!"
Zhao Yang suddenly realized.
"What you said is true. Your thinking is indeed more thoughtful than that of Martingale!"
Li Ran said again:
"When the general takes control of the overall situation, he respects the king and repels the barbarians. From then on, the Jin Kingdom can regain its dominance over the world! And the general can also equal the great virtues of the ancestors! It is really gratifying, gratifying and congratulatory!"
When Zhao Yang heard that his current achievements could actually be compared to his grandfather, Zhao Wenzi, he couldn't help but be overjoyed, but then he felt a little uneasy:
"What the gentleman said is true...it's just that...Dan Qi and the Liu family of the Zhou Dynasty were originally a party of the Fan family, and now they are at odds with my Zhao family. If I go to Chengzhou now...without being summoned by the emperor, what can I do? ?”
At this time, I saw Li Ran bowing and saying:
"Don't worry, general, but now I can go back to Chengzhou and finish this matter for the general!"
Zhao Yang raised his eyebrows:
"Oh? Sir, how should you take this matter into consideration?"
Li Ran smiled and said:
"Haha, what's so difficult about this? Now that the Jin State has defeated the Qi State, it has become the master of the world! As long as the emperor knows the general's intention to pay respect to the Zhou Dynasty, the emperor will not refuse! And Dan Banner and his ilk will only I am afraid to protect Mingzhe, but I dare not cause trouble again! The general is upholding justice in this matter, so what is there to fear?!"
When Zhao Yang heard this, he suddenly realized:
"I see! In that case, everything depends on sir..."
Li Ran waved his hand and said:
"It's just a trivial matter. It's not worth mentioning. However, after I leave, I hope the general will remember what Li Ran said today, but to punish the evil leader, he must not punish others! In addition, the general can also listen to Yin Duo and Yang Hu more Wait for others’ opinions. When something happens, you can discuss it with everyone!”
When Zhao Yang heard what Li Ran said, he couldn't help laughing and said:
"Don't worry, sir. Whatever you say, Martingale will definitely accept it! What's more, I already have very little knowledge. How can I achieve such achievements without the help of others?"
"In that case, sir, please go back to Chengzhou to take care of this matter first!"
So, Li Ran bowed and left.
Soon, Li Ran, Chu Dang and Fan Li returned to Chengzhou first.
…
On the eastern side of Shanxi, after Handan was besieged for a period of time, it turned out just as Li Ran said.
The people in the city all knew that they were now alone. Moreover, Handan was originally a fiefdom of the Zhao family, and there were several mutinies within it.
Although they were all suppressed, Zhong Xingyin gradually understood that their situation was over. If you carry it here, you will die without a burial place sooner or later.
So, one night, he discussed with Fan Jishe that since Handan was no longer suitable for them, and the army and people of Handan had already intended to surrender, it was only a matter of time before something happened.
Fan Jishe couldn't help but said with regret:
"If you abandon Handan, you will have no choice but to go to other countries. If you want to return to the Jin Kingdom in the future, I'm afraid it will be a wishful thinking! Moreover, with only the abilities of my uncle and me, I'm afraid it will be difficult for him to be reused by other countries!"
Zhong Xingyin also said helplessly:
"Since ancient times, being able to serve your country again after traveling abroad is just a drop in the bucket. Not to mention that you and I have no virtue in the Jin Kingdom. I'm afraid it will be as difficult as climbing to heaven."
"However, it is not uncommon for people to be put into important positions in other countries. In the past, slaves with three surnames like Yang Hu could be used by the Zhao family, so why can't you and me?"
"The situation is critical now, so it's better to go to Qi first. I recently heard that the Marquis of Qi is about to die, and Tian Qi has been wanting to take charge of the country for a long time. He is bound to recruit comrades from all over the world! If we go to seek help, he will definitely allow it! Besides, It’s better than being scared here and losing your life in the end, right?!”
When Fan Jishe heard this, he couldn't help but said with grief and anger:
"Hey... I think about how prosperous the Jin Kingdom was when my late father was alive. It was passed down to me for only one generation... but now he has to rely on others. Ji She is really... ashamed of his ancestors!"
Zhong Xingyin also shook his head.
"We are falling into the trap of Li Ziming at every step. This person is really hateful! My dear nephew, don't say anything. It's important to save your life. It's better to pack up quickly and go to Qi State with me!"
Even though Fan Jishe was not angry, he was helpless. He could only listen to Zhong Xingyin's words, quickly pack his bags, and run out to Qi State overnight.
With the departure of Zhong Xingyin, Fan Jishe and Zhao Ji, another large-scale mutiny broke out in Handan under the leadership of his Baigong.
In the end, the whole city of Handan surrendered to Zhao. Zhao Yang also followed Li Ran's wishes and did not purge him. Instead, he ordered Shi Haosheng to appease the people in Handan City.
Handan was finally settled.
…
But when Zilu returned to the state of Lu and resumed his life, he saw Confucius. Confucius was also quite pleased and said:
"Zilu, your contribution to this expedition is indeed not small! It is probably the general trend for Jin to regain its hegemony!"
Zilu replied:
"Everything is just as the respected teacher said! Although the Zhao family is not as talented as him, the good thing is that he is very open-minded and will discuss everything with Mr. Ziming. He is more tolerant and only acts according to his talents. If the Zhao family does not rise, it will really be a disaster. It’s against God’s will.”
Confucius stroked his beard and said:
"The Zhao family has been fighting for six generations since the decline of Zhao Dynasty. In the past, Zhao Wenzi also had great virtues in the country. Although the Zhao family is a Qing family, they are actually very virtuous. Now that they have the help of Mr. Ziming, it can be said that He is a 'gentleman and a gentleman'! If we don't help a man like this, why should we help the Zhongxing clan?"
Zilu frowned slightly at this time and asked:
"I dare to ask Master, as a virtuous monarch, what should you do first?"
Confucius glanced at Zilu strangely.
"Zhong Yu is stupid! Of course he respects the wise and despises the dishonest. I've probably said this at least three times as a teacher, right?!"
Zilu scratched his head and replied:
"Yes! So the disciple is thinking about a question. That is why the Zhonghang clan is also a member of Li Xian Corporal, otherwise it would not be possible for him to be surrounded by people like Qin Qin, Gao Qiang and others. But why did the Zhonghang clan also perish? What’s the reason for this?”
Confucius then understood the purpose of Zilu's question and smiled slightly:
"Zhongxing clan, they are just polite and respectful to virtuous people, but they cannot appoint them, and even if they appoint them, they cannot let down their guard. Moreover, for unworthy people, he is also an evil person, so who has the right to look down upon him? Unscrupulous people? Zhong You can think about it, if a wise man learns that he is not appointed or trusted, will he feel resentful? And those unscrupulous people, if they are belittled and neglected, will they hate the Zhongxing family even more? ?”
"So, this resentment and hatred have coexisted. In addition, the Zhao family's virtues are contrary to the situation, and there is also the assistance of neighboring countries gathering troops. How can the Zhongxing family not be destroyed if they want to not perish?"
When Zilu heard this, he suddenly realized:
"That's it! Thank you Master for clarifying the confusion."
Confucius stood up, patted Zilu on the shoulder, and spoke to him seriously:
"Zhong Yuan! At present, our Lu State may be able to rely on the Jin State to be safe and sound. And my teacher is also thinking of taking this as an opportunity to rule the world with etiquette and music. In the future, my teacher also wants to be like Mr. Ziming Traveling around the country like that. I didn’t have the opportunity before, but now I may be able to fulfill my ambition as a teacher!”
"So, there are still many things that you need to do from now on!"
When Zilu heard this, he hesitated and said:
"Master, it's just...the current Marquis of Lu..."
Confucius glanced at Zilu who was about to speak but he knew what it meant, but he couldn't help but let out a long sigh:
"Hey... It's easy to go from frugality to luxury, but it's hard to go from luxury to frugality! Your Majesty doesn't listen to good advice now, and only cares about pleasure. Although I am determined to make the country of Lu prosperous, there are many things that don't go well for me."
"As a teacher, I don't have the wisdom of Mr. Ziming. In the past, I only knew about the affairs of the emperor, but not the destiny. Therefore, I also hope to travel around to achieve my great ambition!"
(End of chapter)
