Coming out of the Yimen Guards Station, Lord Xinling felt very unhappy. Throughout the conversation, Lord Xinling tried his best to restrain himself so as not to conflict with Hou Ying in person, which was something he did not do when interacting with other people. Even Uncle Tang's face-to-face communication in a secret environment was not as strenuous as this communication. The sense of oppression brought by Hou Ying made Xinlingjun feel difficult to breathe and irritable.
After saying goodbye to Hou Ying respectfully, Lord Xinling got into the car in front of everyone's attention and drove south along the main road in the east of the city. The area where the Royal City is located in the east of the city is rarely visited by people, and the onlookers gradually dispersed.
Hou Ying was determined not to accept Lord Xinling's gift, so Lord Xinling had no choice but to take it back. This also made Lord Xinling feel very embarrassed: his invitation was ignored; in the past, no one was willing to refuse Lord Xinling's invitation, especially if it was an appointment with the courtesy of a national scholar; even people such as Zhang Yue and others were still willing to refuse. Came to your door yourself. "I have cultivated my moral integrity for decades, and finally I will not accept wealth from the prince just because I am trapped in prison." Hou Ying's firm tone kept ringing in Lord Xinling's ears. However, he finally changed his self-identification from "weishu" to "chen" and became closer to Lord Xinling.
Sensing Lord Xinling's displeasure, the driver Zhang Zou said: "You are a crazy person, please don't think of me!"
Lord Xinling had no expression on his face and asked for a long time: "These are my words. Is there any merit in them?"
Mr. Guo, who was on the right side of the car, said: "It is too far away to be useful, and it is a big talk that confuses the ears of the world! The world knows how simple and talented people can be, but how difficult it is to get them to use!"
Zhang Ye also echoed: "Just like Mr. Zheng, the prince would rather not know his sage. He wants to use him but he perishes. What can he do?"
When Zheng Anping was mentioned, Lord Xinling was shocked again, but he did not show it on his face. He still asked calmly: "I regard Zheng as a high official, and Qin also regards Zheng as a high official. Why did Zheng go to Qin?" "
Mr. Guo said: "The Zheng family was a guest of Qin at that time. He was a high official and was about to become a public official. If he were in Wei, would he be able to succeed?"
The answer is obvious: Zheng Anping's position as a doctor in the Wei Kingdom has already been exceptional. It may be the end of his life. At most, he will be promoted to a middle doctor, which is the position of Xu Jia. It cannot be higher. Don't even think about being promoted to a senior doctor, which is Jin Bi's original position, even if his backer is Lord Xinling. These positions are reserved for people with special backgrounds, mainly clan members. Therefore, when Hou Ying attacked Wei and those who established the dynasty were unworthy, Lord Xinling felt very unhappy - he was attacking his relatives! Those people took great care of their brothers when they were young. It was embarrassing enough not to thank them for the promotion after they came to the throne. How could they be removed from their posts instead?
Lord Xinling was conflicted in his heart and did not speak for a long time. Zhang He and Mr. Guo didn't bother him and drove back to Mr. Wei's house in silence.
Mr. Zhongyue greeted him at the door. Seeing that Lord Xinling looked uneasy, he knew that he had hit a snag, so he did not say anything and only accompanied Lord Xinling to the hall. After sitting down, Lord Xinling asked: "What happened when I was alone?"
Mr. Zhongyue said: "There is something big happening!"
Lord Xinling asked, "What's the matter?"
Mr. Zhongyue said: "The King of Qin issued an order on the day after the Shangyuan Dynasty: to remove the Marquis of Qin as the Prime Minister, to worship Zhang Lu as the Prime Minister, and to be the Marquis of the Jin Dynasty!"
Everyone's expressions changed and they were all stunned! After a long time, Lord Xinling asked with a trembling voice: "Are you sure?"
Mr. Zhongyue said: "This is from Luoyang. I'm afraid it's not wrong. It must be true!"
Lord Xinling said: "I hope Mr. Guo will investigate the matter quickly and repay the truth."
Mr. Guo suppressed the shock in his heart and immediately ran out to arrange the investigation work. Mr. Zhongyue said: "I'm afraid a document will arrive soon!"
Lord Xinling said: "If Marquis Rang is exempted from being the prime minister, what will be the disaster and blessing? Is there any big move in Qin? Zhang Lu, a Wei man, suddenly advances to the marquis and becomes the prime minister. How can the Qin people obey him?"
Mr. Zhongyue said: "There are only three cases where Marquis Rang avoids the prime minister. They all spin away and then spin up. I'm afraid it will be the same now!"
Lord Xinling thought thoughtfully and said: "It is inevitable! Ranghou, a great talent, has been appointed as the most important person in the world. How can he be exempted from it lightly? If he enters the country of the princes, he will be a serious trouble for Qin. If Qin cannot use him, he must be eliminated!"
Several people discussed the matter of Ranghou's dismissal as prime minister for a while, and Lord Xinling turned the topic to Hou Ying. Lord Xinling said: "Hou Yinggu is a great talent, but his meaning is circuitous and far-reaching, and his words are grand but empty. He is not a person who knows how to deal with the world."
Mr. Zhongyue said: "Those who speak loudly must be astonishing; those who are astonishing must have something to ask for. What does Hou Ying want?"
Zhang Noi said: "Maybe he is just waiting for the price to sell."
Mr. Zhongyue said: "If you are waiting for a price, your Majesty will treat you with the courtesy of a scholar of the country, which is not high."
Zhang Ye said: "The Hou family does not want to be a minister, but wants to be a teacher. This is to refuse the courtesy of a scholar and accept the ceremony of being a monk."
Zhang Ye's words suddenly woke up Lord Xinling. He didn't find the real reason for his unhappiness along the way, but Zhang Zuo's words revealed what he was hiding deep in his mind: In fact, he didn't really want to take Hou Ying as his teacher, but actually wanted to hire him as his disciple! But Hou Ying saw through his intentions at a glance and refused to be a subordinate! This secret identity struggle made Lord Xinling very unhappy. Thinking of this, Lord Xinling broke out in a cold sweat: Could he really be the kind of hypocrite who only seeks fame and reputation? Can you only tolerate compliments from others, but not true insights? When he thought of this, Lord Xinling said: "That's what you said, sir. Being ignorant of the situation and speaking inappropriately will lead to a loss of great talent!"
Neither of them expected Lord Xinling to say this, and they were shocked for a moment. Zhang Ye asked: "What does it mean?"
Lord Xinling said: "Hou Ying wants to be a teacher, so why should he cherish the teacher's courtesy? Now he is lonely and arrogant, which is not the way to treat worthy people. I hope that you and others will visit him, and I will worship him as a teacher."
Zhang He said: "No way. Your Majesty, with the dignity of a young master, comes to your door to offer you a job, and you are extremely respectful. How can you become your master in commoner clothes? Hou Ying, a poor and lowly person, is too arrogant!"
Lord Xinling said: "In the past Tian Zifang said to Marquis Wu: The poor and the lowly are arrogant, but the rich and noble dare not be arrogant! If a king is arrogant, he will lose his country, and if an official is arrogant, he will lose his family. If a scholar is poor and lowly, he will not say anything. , If the behavior does not match, then take the shoes and remove the ears, and you will not be poor or humble! In the past, Marquis Wen paid homage to Zixia, Zifang, and Duan Muqian as a teacher. These three sons were all clothed. Gu Zong was not as noble as Marquis Wen. Isn’t it okay to learn from others?”
Zhang Ye said: "His words are empty and have no real substance. I am afraid he has no practical knowledge, but he has gained a good reputation!"
Mr. Xinling said: "No. Mr. Wei Zhongyue visited him and found it, but he didn't know his name! That's why he didn't ask for the name but for the truth. When he visited him alone, he only asked empty questions, and he responded with empty words. . This fault is due to being alone. When I visit again, I should consult the current affairs to see what I can do. Please help me, sir!"
Zhang He said: "Your Majesty is asking Qin to come out. What he said will definitely come out of Nanyang. Maybe you should watch it."
Lord Xinling said: "That's what you said. The generals of Qin are making great moves, but we don't know where they are heading. The Hou family has cut off Nanyang... What can you say? I will block the Zhi Road and defend Qin, but I can't order him to leave."
Zhang He said: "That's true. Not only Wei, but also the three Jins must gather the power to block the Zhi Road. He said that Nanyang is the key to the world. If it is lost, Qin will sweep the world, not Wei alone."
Lord Xinling said anxiously: "Please sir, please summon all the guests who know the soldiers quickly to discuss our plans."
Zhang Noi looked at the sky and said, "Maybe after dinner..."
Lord Xinling said: "You should be prepared alone!" He called the family elders to prepare a dinner for ten people and discussed it with all the gentlemen.
After the gentlemen arrived, Zhang Zuo recounted the conversation with Hou Ying, and then said: "Hou said that Qin's great move must not come from Wei and Liang, it must not come from Han Zheng, it must not attack Zhao, it will come from Nanyang." Nanyang, although the land is small but the people are rich, is not an urgent concern. Wei officials all agreed that Nanyang should be guarded by the city while Qin plundered the countryside and would leave in more than a month. There was no need to worry about it. But the Hou family thought that the world was in urgent need, so I hope you will discuss it."
Mr. Guo said: "There are many people in the world who call Nanyang. Nanyang outside Zhi is also Nanyang of Jin Dynasty. Several walls were attacked by Qin. Wu'an defeated Zhi and captured the city for more than sixty years, and then returned it to Wei. At that time, it was urgent to unblock the seal. , and Qin Nanyang; the urgency of Putian, and Qin Wen. They are all in Nanyang of Jin. It is not worth pitying to lose it to Wei, and it is not worth it to Qin to gain it. It is easy to use the land of Wanluo to cover Nanyang of Chu. Set up Nanyang County. This is why we know Qin's plan. Nanyang of Jin is not comparable to Nanyang of Chu, so we will not regret losing it. Today Qin's great move, if it goes out of Nanyang, it will be painful on the skin. Although it penetrates the heart, it will not hurt. But if you take good rest and recuperate, you will surely recover."
Mr. Cao said: "If Qin is defeated by Zhi, what can we do?"
Zhang He said: "Qin came out of Zhi Pass, and the Zhi Road was shared by Qin. If we were to recapture Zhi Pass and block Qin in Zhi, it would take more than a hundred thousand people to do it. If we use up all the troops in Daliang, we are afraid that the princes will attack them. Later, if we gather the people of the three Jin Dynasties, it will cost a lot, and what we gain will be too few. Therefore, the ministers decided to occupy the city and defend it, and let the Qin plunder the wilderness. Even if there are losses, it can still be done."
Lord Xinling said: "The Hou family proposes that Nanyang is the most important thing in the world. Is this acceptable?"
Mr. Jin said: "I have heard that Han and Wei are the most important people in the world. If Han and Wei are taken over, Chu, Qi, Yan and Zhao will be unable to do anything. Nanyang covers the border towns of the three Jin Dynasties. What is gained is not valuable enough, and what is lost is not valuable enough." Unfortunately, we have discussed the important points of the world, but we don’t know what the plan is. Moreover, Nanyang is more than a thousand miles away from Xianyang, and is close to the three Jin Dynasties. Qin has more than enough to plunder it, but not enough to defend it. Even if it wants to take advantage of the important points of the world, it cannot hold it, so what can it do?"
Mr. Xinling saw that Mr. Jin, who was familiar with geography, also said the same thing, and felt that it was probably correct. He said: "Hou's theory is far away and not practical. Fortunately, I can understand it thanks to Mr. Jin's teaching."
Zhang He said: "When Wei prepares for Qin's departure, it should also take Daliang as the main point and Nanyang as the light point."
Lord Xinling saw that everyone disagreed with Hou Ying's views, and the reasons were very good, so he gave up the idea of visiting Hou Ying again. He only sent people to inquire about the movements of the Qin army.
A few days later, the Qin envoy visited Daliang and reported that Qin had appointed Zhang Lu as prime minister and granted the title of Marquis of Ying. He also informed that Marquis Rang would return to his fiefdom and would pass through the Wei border, and he was willing to pass it through. When asked about the time when Ranghou passed through the border, he only vaguely said "only a few months", and there was no exact period. Wei could not confirm whether there was any conspiracy, and could only vaguely say, "We dare not stop Marquis Rang from returning to the country; we would like to inform him first so that we can prepare food for the east road."
Ten days later, the spy Mr. Guo sent to Xianyang, the capital of Qin, sent news like a meteor: Ten thousand people from Qin have left Hangu; all Qin people have crossed Maojin and entered Hedong... Because Guo Mr. Xiang's intelligence network has not been spread to Hedong, and the movements of the Qin army after entering Hedong cannot be ascertained for the time being.
