The King of Qin asked Pingyuan Jun to hand over Wei Qi, but Pingyuan Jun flatly refused and denied that Wei Qi was in his house. The King of Qin said: "You must deceive me. I know that Wei Qi is in the king's house, so why refuse him?" Mr. Pingyuan refused again and again. The King of Qin did not argue with him. After the banquet, he directly sent troops to guard Pingyuan Jun's residence so that he could not come in or out. Lord Pingyuan saw that King Qin suddenly turned his face, and felt a little confused, wondering what the future would be like.
Soon, the envoys of King Qin left Hangu Pass and came straight to Handan. Lu Buwei led his convoy and came out of the customs as part of the mission with a large number of goods purchased from Qin. The two combined brought the size of the mission to one hundred and fifty times as many, with more than 500 followers. Half of Lu Buwei's retainers and slaves were stationed in Xianyang, and those who supplied Lu Buwei were a group of business elites under Chen Si. Handan will definitely become a strategic focus in the future, and due to the long distance between Handan and Xianyang, Qin's power in Handan is very weak; this caused many miscalculations during the Battle of Changping. It is a good time to use Lu Buwei as the basis to expand Qin's power in Handan.
When the powerful Yu Qing was about to leave for Linzi, he received a report from the Chu State: Tian Shan, Lord of Anping, died in Chencheng. According to Tian Dan's instructions before his death, the coffin will be returned to the fiefdom of the State of Qi for a safe burial. Since Tian Dan still holds the title of Prime Minister of Zhao and has a settlement in the State of Zhao, the State of Chu also sent envoys to the State of Zhao to report the funeral. Yu Qing, who was preparing to envoy Qi, was also appointed to pay condolences to King Qi on behalf of King Zhao.
From Chen to Linzi, the most convenient road is to enter Jishui from Honggou and turn south at the mouth of the Zishui River. Except for the Zi River section, boats can be used to transport the goods along the way. The most direct and quickest way from Handan to Linzi is to take the land route, cross the two branches of the Yellow River, and then proceed along the Jishui River. On the road from Handan to Linzi, Qi State established Gaotang, an important border county. Among them, the two cities of Liao and She that Zhao State captured from Qi State were the cause of the dispute between Qin and Zhao. This place is only a hundred miles away from Jishui.
After finding out the date of Anping Jun's death, Yu Qing first set off from Handan and arrived at Liaocheng. He sent people to the shore of Jishui to wait for the Chu State's envoy to arrive. There is a relatively famous city Ayi on the bank of Jishui, originally called Keyi. Since the large area east of Liaocheng to Jishui is low-lying and has many rivers such as the Yellow River and Jishui, it was a swampland at that time, and even became a marshland after heavy rains. Only the area near Ayi was suitable for people to settle. This is one of the few ways to enter Qi State by land, and it is also a commercial complex on the shore of Jishui. However, due to limited space and underdeveloped food production, the population has never been able to increase. There is a small town with no garrison.
This city, which is located on an important transportation road but is relatively remote, is actually a good place for diplomacy. About ten of Yu Qing's followers entered Ayi and contacted the city lord. The city lord immediately sent people to inquire upstream. Within a few days, they found out that the Chu State's fleet carrying coffins had arrived at Shougang in Taodi. The two cities of Shou and Gang were captured by Marquis Rang from the State of Qi, and now belong to the Tao land of the State of Qin. When envoys from the Chu State went to Qi State to deliver the coffin, Tao Yi naturally did not stay in trouble and provided food and fodder according to Qin law. Then a messenger flew to Xianyang.
The State of Chu did not report the death of Lord Anping to the State of Qin. When Chen's spies of Qin got the news, it was already the time when the State of Chu was about to set out for Fuling. It was nearly two thousand miles from Chen to Xianyang, and the mountain road was rugged and difficult. It was already a month later when Xianyang got the news; the news from Taoyi also arrived at about the same time. At this time, the Qin envoy, Lu Buwei and his party had already left Hangu Pass. Zhang Lu sent Pegasus to stop the group and asked them to inquire about the operation in Luoyang and wait for further instructions.
The traffic conditions in Luoyang are much better than those in Xianyang, and it is much closer to the site of the incident, so information is very convenient. Here, Lu Buwei and his party found out that the Zhao envoy Yu Qing stayed in Liaocheng for many days and met the Chu envoy Gongzi Cheng in Acheng. The two envoys entered Linzi together; after arriving in Linzi, they both visited the King and Queen of Qi at the same time... More and more There are more and more signs that at least the three families of Qi, Chu and Zhao may be conspiring to negotiate.
After staying in Luoyang for a few days, Qi State sent envoys to inform the princes of the world that Tian Dan, the lord of Anping, had passed away. Qin immediately sent envoys to Qi and ordered Lu Buwei and his party to continue to Handan.
When Lu Buwei returned to Handan again, it was already early summer. Although it was still a little cold in the morning and evening, there was no need to wear cold clothes anymore. It is said that Yu Qing had left Linzi at this time, but had not yet returned to Handan.
The envoy submitted a document from King Qin to King Zhao: "The king's younger brother is in Qin, and Fan Jun's enemy Wei Qi is in the home of Pingyuan Jun. The king's messenger is coming with his head, and I will send the king's brother to Guan."
Pingyang Jun accepted the document on behalf of King Zhao, but responded rudely: "Although my king is young, and the king is respected, I want to order it, but I don't dare to hear it!"
The envoy replied very politely: "I don't dare to order you, but please listen!"
It was related to the safety of Lord Pingyuan. Naturally, the monarchs and ministers of Zhao State did not dare to take it lightly. They deliberated for several days, hesitated again and again, and could not make a decision.
At this time, the envoy of the State of Qin went to Handan City and met the young master Yiren without waiting to enter the post house. The messenger showed the jade tablet to the foreigner, with the words "son of the foreigner's wife Huayang" engraved on it!
The stranger suddenly understood what was going on: this established his status as the legitimate son! Immediately fell to the ground and worshiped.
But the envoy's next mission was completely unexpected: to appoint Lu Buwei as the young master.
Generally, the prince has a guardian and a tutor, a military officer and a civil servant, who are responsible for both the prince's safety and his education. Generally speaking, the prince should treat Fu as a teacher. If the prince is underage, Fu can even handle affairs on behalf of the prince. Lu Buwei had not known each other for a long time, only three months ago, but somehow he gained the trust of the King of Qin and gained such a high status after entering Xianyang. The foreigner didn't have time to think about it, and immediately held his hand to Lu Buwei and saluted him, saying: "Young Master enters the foreigner's house. The foreigner is very disrespectful. Young Master is guilty of this!"
Lu Buwei said: "I have to obey the king's orders, assist the young master, and achieve great achievements, which will fulfill my life's aspirations. I dare not be lazy if I dare to do my best for the young master!"
Then, the envoy announced the rewards of King Qin and Mrs. Huayang to the stranger. The one hundred and fifty carts of goods for the purpose did not cost Lu Buwei a penny. They were all gifts from the King of Qin and Mrs. Huayang. Except for those needed to meet the King of Zhao and complete the mission, everything else was left to the disposal of the stranger and Lu Buwei. Suddenly, a prince who had never been favored by his father became the future ruler of Qin!
Lu Buwei returned to his shop, placed the Qin merchants brought from Xianyang in his various businesses, and readjusted his manpower. The goods brought from Qin naturally have to pass through here to sell at the best price.
Zhao Ji, who was married to a stranger, was still living in Lu Buwei's home as Lu Buwei's concubine, but judging from the meaning, the child was already pregnant!
The Qin State here is arranging the affairs of strangers, and the Zhao State's Yu Qing has also returned slowly. In line with the great fanfare when he went on an mission, Yu Qing also came back with a full load: Fifty times a big country, filled with gifts from Qi, symbolizing that the mission was extremely fruitful! But after entering the side hall of King Zhao's palace and sitting down with several ministers, Yu Qing began to curse the queen, saying that the country of Qi would be destroyed in the hands of this woman! No matter how Yu Qing tried every means to threaten and induce, the king and queen only had one sentence: Qi can only protect itself, but cannot ask for help from others; Qi is willing to maintain good relations with all princes, and is unwilling to fight any of them! The six cities offered by Yu Qing were rejected by the King of Qi.
Yu Qing revealed that his relationship with Chu Gong Zicheng was quite fruitful. Young Master Cheng was a noble prince, and he couldn't stand Yu Qing's few words, so he handed over all the information about Chu State: After more than ten years of recuperation, Chu State's strength has been greatly restored, and its strength on paper is already as good as that of Qin State. . Although Gong Zicheng was only responsible for sending Tian Dan's coffin back to Qi and had no other mission, he still expressed his affirmation of Yu Qing's idea of joining forces to resist Qin, saying that if Yu Qing goes to Chen to lobby, he will definitely support it!
Although Yu Qing was eloquent, every word was positive, and he tried his best to describe his mission as complete and successful; but through those gorgeous rhetoric, it was clear that Qi's mission had failed: Qi State resolutely and clearly rejected Zhao State's solicitation , I don’t even want six cities, and I don’t want to be the enemy of Qin! Although Yu Qing still thought that he could lobby Chu, Wei, and Han, King Zhao made up his mind: Lord Pingyuan must be rescued, even if it means using Wei Qi's head.
That night, Yu Qing sent someone to take Wei Qi to his home. Early the next morning, Pingyang Lord commanded the Zhao army to surround Pingyuan Lord's fief and search Wei Qi. The momentum was so great that Handan was shocked! On the other side, Yu Qing took Wei Qi, each with a few reliable confidants, and left Handan incognito, walking south.
Wei Qi was threatened by the King of Qin seven or eight years ago and was forced to abandon his official position and flee. Over the years, he had been pampered and enjoyed a good life. With his age and physical strength gradually declining, how could he withstand such a long journey incognito! After barely crossing Zhangshui, he reached Yecheng and fell ill. Yu Qing had no choice but to place the group of people on a reverse journey. While asking for medical treatment, he sent people to sneak to Daliang and asked Lord Xinling to find a way to rescue them.
From Yecheng to Daliang, there was a large swamp. The highway had to go around the foot of the Taihang Mountains, from Nanyang to Xingyang, and then to Daliang. It took five to six hundred miles and had to cross several rivers. It was not easy to walk, especially When you still need to hide your identity. Yu Qing originally asked two of his followers and two of Wei Qi's followers, a total of four people, to go south. After walking halfway to Wei, Wei Qi's two followers couldn't stand it anymore and secretly escaped with their money. Only two of Yu Qing's followers were left. They were alone, lacked money, and their movements were restricted. It was summer again, and the heat was unbearable. I was thirsty and drank some unclean water, which also hurt my stomach. I had loose stools for several days, and I lost my shape. After finally recovering, we were faced with the problem of crossing the Yellow River again. The two of them were penniless, so they could only search for hidden clues to help them cross the river, which took several days. After finally crossing the river, I walked along the avenue all the way to Guancheng, thinking to myself, we are finally here!
