The young master Yiren and his entourage are very poor: they only have ten followers, one in a carriage and one in a baggage, and even a wealthy businessman is richer than him when he goes out. Rumor has it that the young master has more than twenty alien brothers. He is neither the eldest son nor the legitimate son. His mother is mean and his status is low. They sent him as a hostage with the sole intention of abandoning him. Being a proton is a custom for serving the country, but now it seems to be forgotten!
Lian Po left Wu'an when he saw Wang Hao building a fort in Zhao's face: Wang Hao's actions made it clear that he was continuing the offensive without any order. The situation that looks extremely dangerous is actually very safe. The two sides are too close, and there is no room for massing troops and carrying out strikes. It is like two people facing each other on the battlefield, and no one can do anything to the other. The person currently responsible for Wu'an's defense is Wu'an Ling.
To be able to become a county magistrate, especially in Wu'an, which is close to Handan, one must be a member of the royal family in Zhao State, and his status is not low, at least at the level of Zhao She. These people are usually very flexible in their thinking. They know that their mission is to confine the Qin army to this area and wait for diplomacy to solve the problem, so they send envoys to communicate with Wang Hao from time to time. At first they sent people to say, we are short of water in the camp. Can we come to fetch water without shooting arrows? We will not interfere with you when you come to fetch water. Then they sent people to say, I heard that you are exchanging salt for iron. Order souvenirs in exchange for salt, such as Sichuan peppercorns? Finally, I sent someone to tell me, should we secretly make a covenant? If we are ordered to attack the other party, we should say hello one day in advance! ...The increasingly bizarre requests almost amused Wang Lu: This is really the character of a young master! He never responded. Except for the replacement of salt with peppercorns, which was not successful (because there was no salt in the army), although the others did not reply, they followed the advice of Wu'an Order.
Wang Lu also reported all requests from Wu'an order to Xianyang. Pi Wan asked him if he could purchase a batch of grain in Wu'an. Wang Lu then opened a military market at the source of Fu River, ten miles south of Shannan, and sent 100 soldiers to maintain order. , ironware and salt can be traded in the market. Business is actually quite prosperous. In addition to the surrounding villages and towns, there are also merchants coming to do business from as far away as Yecheng and Ningxinzhong, which are a hundred miles away. Upon seeing this, the Wu'an Order also opened a military market outside Wu'an City, attracting merchants from Handan, Yiyang and other places to come to trade, and also set up several virgin villages. The two military markets communicated with each other from time to time. The merchants' carriages and boats passed along the Ming River outside the Qin army's camp gate, and even greeted the Qin army on guard in a friendly manner.
The messages from Xianyang and Handan were all peaceful. Xianyang informed Wang Lu that Zhao was willing to offer six cities for peace; Handan informed Wu'an that Qin sent a prince to Handan as a hostage.
Lord Pingyuan received Young Master Yiren in Handan and placed him in Handan City instead of the royal city. Young Master Yiren clearly felt the indifference of the Zhao State, but he didn't take it seriously. After all, the Qin State killed so many people in the Zhao State, and some open hostility was expected. He led his followers and followed the travelers out of the royal city to Handan City in the north.
If the royal city is majestic and luxurious, then Handan City is full of fireworks. The tall and gorgeous buildings are obviously the homes of wealthy people, while most people can only live in low and small huts.
The passer-by led the stranger to a low house and saluted, "Master, please settle him down!"
The best man was very angry and said: "Young Master, you are a noble man, how can you live in this hut!"
The passerby said: "When the young master is in Xianyang, he will naturally have a noble house and enjoy wealth and honor. However, Handan is remote and the land is barren and the people are poor. When the young master comes to Zhao, he is willing to join its customs and follow its orders."
The groomsman said: "The hostage is the envoy of the Qin State. He should stay in the palace post and guard the front and rear! He has built a private house, but it is uneven. How can he repay it?"
The passerby said: "The people of our country are simple and honest, and there have been no thieves for a long time. If you, sir, speak respectfully, you will be fine. Don't give up on yourself! As for food and drink, I will give you to you."
The best man wanted to protest, but the stranger stopped him and said: "I would like to tell Lord Pingyuan that I have been treated favorably in Handan, and I am willing to repay Xianyang!"
The passerby said disdainfully: "I'm going to Xianyang on the same day from Pingyuan. I'm afraid I won't hear the young master's words!" He saluted and left.
Young Master Yiren directed his entourage and drove the car into the courtyard.
This house is low and dilapidated, huddled alone in a corner of the city. I don't know who left it. The stranger whispered: "Although this place is remote, it is still safe enough. If there are houses in all directions, what will I prepare?" After thinking about it, the best man also said yes, but said: "Only the young master condescends!"
The foreigner said: "Isn't that much more than keeping your head?" The foreigner took the initiative to bring up this heavy topic, which made everyone feel more and more unhappy.
When they left Xianyang, the King of Qin and the Crown Prince confessed to the stranger that in exchange for Handan, there would be more misfortune than good. Zhao, Qin Xu and Wei Snake would fight sooner or later. But Qin must make peace with Zhao now, firstly to get real benefits, and secondly to give Shangdang a chance to rest and recuperate. If Shangdang develops, Handan will naturally be a problem. For this reason, Yiren must try to delay Zhao's counterattack on Shangdang.
In order to ensure Yiren's safety as much as possible, Zhang Lu suggested spreading rumors that Yiren was an evil son of a commoner and was not popular. His grandma did not care for him and his uncle did not love him. Even if Zhao Guo killed him, there would be no loss. When the foreigner left Xianyang, he only carried very few supplies and personnel, creating the illusion that he was not taken seriously. But these ten people are all talented with both wisdom and courage, and have the ability to protect the safety of strangers in times of crisis, but they all look ordinary on the outside.
The foreigner is right. The remote environment of this place is both a disadvantage and an advantage. For the foreigner who only wants to hide the truth and remain unobtrusive, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages; and it is located in a corner of Handan. Disadvantageous, it would be easier to escape. After everyone figured this out, they all felt at ease and were busy tidying up their rooms, repairing leaks and plugging gaps.
Although the house is low, it still has the layout of a house, with four adobe walls. Once you enter the two rooms, there are no steps. The foundation is about half a foot above the ground. There are stables for cattle and horses on both sides, a warehouse behind the house, and a courtyard in the southeast corner.
Everyone first repaired the walls of the main hall and the rooms on both sides completely. The doors and windows were in tatters, making it difficult to keep out the wind. Everyone had to remove the doors from other rooms and use them in the main hall first, and then repair the other rooms later. There is a fire pit under the eaves outside the lobby. A lot of thatch on the roof has been blown down, leaking out a large area of the sky.
While everyone was discussing how to repair the roof, a pedestrian arrived dragging a cart of grain. Everyone unloaded two large baskets of grain, but there was nothing else. The passerby said: "Twenty shi of millet is enough for six people to eat in one month. I hope you will collect it carefully."
The stranger said: "There are eleven of us, but there is a lunar eclipse for six of us!"
The passerby said: "If the young master comes with a hundred people, will my town eat a hundred people? Our town is remote and the land is barren and the people are poor. The young master and five of his followers are the leaders. No one dares to hear about it."
One person asked: "But only twenty shi of millet? There are no fruits, vegetables, sauces, meat, or salt and plums?"
The passerby laughed and said: "Young Master is really a nobleman of the country, and he has just entered a disadvantaged country. We only have enough food, and we don't smell salt and plums!" Everyone wanted to ask again, but the passerby said first: "The next day, Mr. Pingyuan will go to Xianyang. I would like to see you off, young master. When the time comes, I should invite you!" He cupped his hands and drove away, no longer paying attention to everyone.
Seeing Zhao Xingren being so arrogant, everyone was a little angry. The stranger said: "He is so rude, what do you want?" These followers are also smart people, so naturally they will not be moved by these harmless rude behaviors.
When they left Xianyang, they imagined many problems that Zhao people might set up cards and restrictions, but they did not expect that they would have problems in their lives. Foreign envoys usually live in a post house, and the country of residence provides food and accommodation; the sending country will also send some supplies on time, which is just the icing on the cake, just to give the proton a facade, and the basic daily needs are provided by the country of residence. This is diplomatic practice. Unexpectedly, this convention was broken by Zhao Guo! Zhao Guo did not arrange for the foreigner to live in Guanyi, but directly assigned the foreigner an old house. There were no daily necessities in the house, and even the house was dilapidated! The foreigner must resettle in Handan, and he originally planned to be a hostage, and he was a failed hostage who was abandoned by his father! The Zhao people's arrangements disrupted their plans and forced them to reconsider their future actions.
The best man said: "Perhaps I will vent my displeasure!"
The stranger said: "If you strive hard, it is the way to death, but it is not enough."
A follower said: "If we don't fight, what will we do?"
The stranger said: "Just tolerate it!"
However, now a very real problem arises: there is no water here, and there is no large water container. Everyone had to carry some cans from the cart and go out of the city to carry water. Carrying water in such a small jar attracted curious looks from others. Fortunately, they lived in a remote corner of the city and didn't see too many people. After finally getting enough water for dinner, everyone gathered together, lit a fire, set up a cauldron, washed the corn with water, and started cooking millet porridge.
The adobe wall is also ventilated from all sides and is not very high. From the inside, you can observe the movement outside. The stranger signaled everyone to pay attention to what was going on around him, and asked quietly: "What should I do when Zhao is on this trip?"
This question made everyone calm down. It was agreed that Young Master Yiren is a son who is not favored by his father. He came to Handan to die. Now he is treated so coldly by the Zhao people. If he fights back hard, all the previous persona will be overthrown. Young Master Yiren is a pampered nobleman. The young master has been very ambitious since he was a child; but if he acts too tolerant, he will inevitably not be regarded as ambitious. It is very important to grasp the appropriateness.
One of the attendants said: "If the young master shows his talents but fails to achieve his ambition, Zhao may accept him and think that he is the one of Qin..."
Everyone's expressions changed and they said: "No way!"
The stranger said: "I will go to the market to sell business on the same day. What should I do?"
The best man said: "You and other descendants have never managed a household and don't know how to do it. I will be your master."
The stranger said: "I will go to the royal city to see Lord Pingyuan off the next day. Where will you go?"
The groomsman said: "It is enough for me to have one person to pull the chariot. He will all follow the young master!"
After a while, the porridge was ready. From the supplies they brought, they took out the remaining fruits, vegetables, salt and plums, prepared them, mixed them with the porridge, and ate a meal.
