From the emperor to the courtiers, everyone hoped that the new King Chu's accession to the throne would be a new beginning.
The first diplomatic action of the King of Chu in the first year was to take the initiative to dedicate the land state on the east coast of Yunmeng and between Yunmeng and the Yangtze River to the King of Qin...
Zhou was not a very important place. It was just one of the few large tracts of land in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River that could be inhabited by people at that time. There had been a Zhou state since ancient times, but it was later destroyed by Chu. Although this place is not important, its symbolic meaning is obvious: Chu is willing to have good relations with Qin; Chu has no desire to covet his old capital Ying.
Yewang fell into Qin's hands like a ripe thing: after holding on for nearly a year, Yewang Kaicheng surrendered.
For a year, South Korea faced the Qin attack alone without anyone to help. South Korea asked for help everywhere, but no one agreed. In desperation, South Korea had to send envoys to Qin to ask for peace. But after the Han envoy arrived in Xianyang, he was not allowed to enter and could not see any officials from Qin.
Han Ping finally remembered a person: Pingyang Shouyang Chengjun. Pingyang, which he defended, has not fallen yet, and there should be some tacit understanding with Qin officials. So Han Ping sent people to sneak into Pingyang and asked Yang Chengjun to come out and serve as an envoy to Qin to express South Korea's intention to seek peace. Since Pingyang's communication with Zheng was cut off, the peace negotiation with Qin was completely controlled by Yang Chengjun, and there was no need to report to the King of Han. But Han Ping didn't know that after the war in Pingyang subsided, Yang Chengjun secretly reached an agreement with Qin: Qin would not attack Pingyang, and Pingyang would transfer all the tribute paid to South Korea every year to Qin. After the autumn harvest last year, Yang Chengjun actually went to Xianyang and was received by Zhang Lu. Han Ping asked Yang Chengjun to seek peace with Qin on behalf of Han, which actually put the fate of Korea into the hands of traitors!
Han envoy Feng Ting disguised himself and went through many hardships before finally arriving in Pingyang and meeting Yang Chengjun. When Yang Chengjun saw the talismans and documents of King Han from Feng Ting and his party, he asked Feng Ting: "Since we are on good terms with Qin, the king should send his relatives, nobles and travelers out of Zheng. Although I am a member of the Han family, I have been released." It's not appropriate to be an official."
Feng Ting said: "The king sent envoys to Qin several times, but they were not able to get there. I hope that you will guard Pingyang or have relations with Qin, so I ordered my ministers and others to pass on the mission secretly. I hope that you will not give up your hard work and go to Xianyang in person. If you can get Han Qin Form an alliance to benefit our family, country and the world!"
Yang Chengjun said: "No one dares to go there unless I am a minister. The road between Pingyang and Zheng is blocked, and the mission is difficult to pass. Even if there is an argument, how can we repay the king?"
Feng Ting said: "The king entrusts your Majesty with orders to follow your Majesty's will whenever there is any discussion. The King will not agree!"
After Yang Chengjun heard these words, he reluctantly agreed: "I just obey the king's order!"
After arranging for Feng Ting to stay, Yang Chengjun found several confidants to discuss the matter. Everyone thinks that going to Xianyang as an envoy is thankless! Qin has cut off the Taihang Road, and the west of Taihang in South Korea cannot be protected, and Pingyang will bear the brunt.
Yang Chengjun said: "But if we have to form an alliance, what do we want to do?"
One of the followers said: "If we offer Shanxi without fighting, we might win an alliance!"
Yangcheng Jun said: "Why offer it?"
The follower said: "You are offering Pingyang? How will you deal with yourself?"
Yang Chengjun said: "If I offer the party, is that okay?"
One of the followers was surprised: "Dedicate yourself to the party? If there is no king's order..."
Yang Chengjun said: "The king has ordered that any discussion with Qin should be listened to by the few. This is the king's order. Sir, what is the plan? Is it more profitable to make an alliance with Qin than to fight with Qin? If we make an alliance with Qin, we can still protect Pingyang, but if we fight with Qin, we will lose Shanxi." None of them can be guaranteed. I hope that an alliance will bring a lot of benefits. Sir, if you think about it again, what will Han general offer to win the alliance? It must be Shanxi. If you offer one to the party and win the alliance, the benefits will not be huge!"
The followers knew it was sophistry, but they could not refute it. More importantly, basically no one could come up with any good ideas.
At this time, tributes from various counties had gradually been concentrated in Pingyang. Yangchengjun did not discuss with Feng Ting, or even ignored him, and went about collecting tributes and preparing to enter Qin. Feng Ting felt a little confused. Why did he need so many gifts for his mission? He ran to ask Yang Chengjun, and Yang Chengjun said: "You must want to form an alliance with Qin, why don't you cherish things?"
Feng Ting opened his mouth and wanted to say, "You can't just ask for peace regardless of the cost." But when he thought of Han Ping's anxious look, he knew that it would be very difficult to ask for peace with Qin at the moment, and there might be no way out through conventional diplomacy. , Han Ping chose Yang Chengjun, maybe because of this! No more words.
Yangchengjun sent an envoy to report to Hedong Shou that he was going to Xianyang. At the same time, he sent the envoy to Hedong with a share left for Hedong without mentioning the envoy. Bai Qi didn't know that a Korean envoy had arrived in Pingyang, so he just thought it was based on last year's story and issued a talisman to let him go.
By this time, the Wild King had fallen.
Yang Chengjun's tribute this year amounted to a thousand chariots. Pingyang and Hedong each sent half of the chariots and soldiers to escort them, resulting in a total of four thousand people. Yang Chengjun drove away without Feng Ting. When Feng Ting saw that the Qin people were also participating in the escort, he thought that Yang Chengjun's diplomacy was successful, and he still had some secret hope in his heart.
But Feng Ting, who stayed in Pingyang, gradually realized that something was wrong. Pingyang is located on the front line of the war against Qin, so it is too peaceful! After his insinuations and roundabout inquiries, Feng Ting finally learned that Pingyang had reached an agreement with Qin to pay tribute every year, and last year's tribute had been shipped out, while what Yang Chengjun was shipping to Xianyang now was this year's tribute. tribute. These tributes have been decided as early as the beginning of the year. After the autumn harvest, they will be concentrated in Pingyang and transferred uniformly from Pingyang. After Feng Ting learned this, his whole body became cold!
Yang Chengjun came back a full month later, and it was already the twelfth lunar month. Pingyang is full of joy and celebration, and people are preparing to celebrate the New Year.
Yang Chengjun told Feng Ting that after repeated efforts, the King of Qin agreed to form an alliance with Han on the condition of taking over the seventeen cities of Shangdang.
Feng Ting was shocked and said: "If we lose the party, what will we benefit from Qin?"
Yang Chengjun said: "There are still Pingyang, Sanchuan and Zhengye." Feng Ting was speechless and didn't know how to respond.
Yang Chengjun said to Feng Ting: "You can repay the king, or offer the party to make peace with Qin, or fight with Qin. Fortunately, I have fulfilled my mission, but I only obey the king's orders!"
How dare Feng Ting go back? Yang Chengjun's words were somewhat true, and Feng Ting still knew; if he returned to Zheng so recklessly, how could he return his life to King Han? He had no choice but to bite the bullet and said: "The king has given his mission to the king. The king will ally with the king, and the minister will return!"
Yang Chengjun said: "In that case, I should send an envoy to Shangdang."
The road from Pingyang to Shangdang was not close, and it was difficult to travel. It took the envoy more than two months to get back. During this period, the Qin army, led by a fifth official, crossed the Yellow River and captured ten cities in succession, approaching Xingyang. Han Ping sent another envoy, Han Yang, to Pingyang secretly to inquire about the progress of diplomacy and urge peace as soon as possible. Otherwise, Xingyang would not be protected and Zheng would become an isolated city!
Feng Ting told Han Yang about Yang Chengjun's mission to Qin, saying that Qin would definitely want to secede the party and then make peace. Han Yang was different from Feng Ting. He didn't think that ceding Shangdang was so great. Compared with Zheng Guo's safety, what was worth missing about the dozen or so mountain cities far away in the mountains? Wouldn't just one of the five great officials occupy ten cities in Xingyang?
Feng Ting brought Han Yang to see Yang Chengjun. Lord Yangcheng said: "Since I have received the king's order, I would like to tell him personally."
A few days after Han Yang left, the previous envoy came back and reported that Shangdang guard Jin Fu refused to recognize the peace agreement and must obey the king's order. Yang Chengjun just sneered and said: "The king's order has arrived, and the king's envoy has gone!"
Han Yang moved much faster than the previous envoy, and returned to Pingyang in less than a month. He said angrily: "Jin Pao is rude and does not obey the king's orders."
Yang Chengjun said: "What did Jin Yao say?"
Han Yang said: "He said, there is a saying: If you know how to pick up the bottle, you will not lose the weapon. Even if the king has an order, and the minister is the governor, even if the king and his son, they still guess. I ask you to guard against Qin, if you can't die , then he will die. I have repeatedly told him but he still can’t get it, what can I do?”
Feng Ting said: "It's spring when I look at it, the river fields are gradually opening up, and all the Qin soldiers will return to their fields. Zheng Guo has nothing to worry about. If he guards his city carefully and repairs his equipment, Qin will not dare to attack."
Han Yang said: "That's not what you said. If Qin annihilates Xingyang, Han will no longer be in Huoxi; if Qin annihilates Taihang, Shanxi will no longer be Han. If Han loses two of his three points, can he still survive? What's the current plan? , Nai quickly made an alliance with Qin, but he didn't care about it! Now that we have lost the upper party, we have only lost one of them. Although it is broken, we can still protect ourselves!"
Feng Ting said in great pain: "Why is Han's state like this?"
Yang Chengjun said: "I have promised Yinghou to offer the party. This spring the river will open, but the land will not advance. I am afraid Yinghou will carry it on his back."
Feng Tinghu said: "I think Shangdang will not join the Qin Dynasty, but Jin Shou is the only one. I am willing to join the Shangdang and recall Jin Shou, then things will be harmonious!"
Yang Chengjun said: "Good! You and Han Yang can join the Shangdang with Wang Jie, and Jin Piao will obey the order, otherwise you will pretend to be Shangdang guards!" Then he handed Feng Ting the Wang Jie brought by Feng Ting. . Then he said to Han Yang: "You are fully aware of Zheng's danger. You should tell Jin Fu and be careful not to make a mistake." Feng Ting received the festival talisman and resigned from Han Yang. Han Yang thought that Feng Ting was really going to replace Jin Mao, and was still a little worried. After coming out, he quietly asked: "Shangdang is dangerous and difficult, and cannot be defended by anyone. How can you do it?"
Feng Ting did not want to tell his true intention and said: "If you return to the party to Qin, it will cost you three months!" Han Yang also made sense after hearing this. I don’t really want to be an official there!
After some preparations, during the busy spring plowing season, Feng Ting and Han Yang left Pingyang with several entourages and headed for Shangdang. Due to the inconvenience of traveling in the mountains, they each rode a donkey to travel, and all their luggage was carried by the donkey. They followed a caravan and left Pingyang for Shangdang. From Pingyang to Shangdang, you have to pass through several dangerous areas with sparsely populated areas. If you don't travel together, robbers, wild beasts, and even bad weather may kill you! The best way to enter the mountains is to be led by a business traveler who is familiar with the roads.
However, there were fewer business trips in spring, so the group waited for a while in order to gather the number of people. Led by the leader of the caravan, after more than ten days of sleeping and dining in the open, the group managed to reach Shangdang Changping, where the Shangdang County Sheriff's lawsuit was filed, although they endured some hardships.
