Ying Jiuxiao's posthumous title was decided, and the subsequent procedures were arranged step by step according to the established rules.
When it’s time to stop, the spirit should stop, when it’s time to mourn. At the same time, the news of Ying Jiuxiao's death spread quickly to Xianyang. When people across the Qin Kingdom got the news, countless people mourned.
The people in Qin State all had a good life because of Ying Jiuxiao's rule.
Without Ying Jiuxiao, there would be no good life for the people now.
Without winning Jiuxiao, there would be no stability in all parts of Qin.
The people are very simple, and they are grateful to anyone who treats them well and allows them to live a good life. Therefore, many people from all over the Qin Kingdom came to pay homage to the deceased Ying Jiuxiao in private.
For a time, countless people in Qin were immersed in this atmosphere.
At the same time, the news of Ying Jiuxiao's death had reached Jinling City in the south of the Yangtze River. The news found by the Guards Department reached the hands of Jian Xingmao, the chief internal officer. When he saw the news, he also trembled.
Ying Jiuxiao died.
This is a big deal.
Even because of Ying Jiuxiao's death, Jin's policy towards Qin may change.
Jian Xingmao did not dare to waste time and hurriedly entered the palace. He came to the emperor Sima Chong, bowed and reported: "Your Majesty, something big has happened in Qin."
Sima Chong raised his brows, and there was some surprise on his slightly old cheeks, and asked: "Is there a civil strife in the Qin State?"
Over the years, Sima Chong's power has increased a lot. After all, Gu Xi is not like Xie Chong. Gu Xi is influential in aristocratic families, but Gu Xi's influence is limited after all.
Age does not necessarily represent the King of Wei, but the older you are, the more powerful you are, and the more prestige you can show.
Xie Chong had great influence in Jin State.
For the time being, Gu Xi couldn't achieve this effect.
As the head of the hundred officials, Gu Xi had to cooperate with Sima Chong, so the emperor's authority was stronger. Aristocratic families have great influence, but when the emperor is powerful, they will also be affected accordingly.
Just like this, Sima Chong had too many things to worry about, so that he became older and older.
Jian Xingmao said quickly: "Reporting to your majesty, it was not the civil strife that broke out in the Qin State, but the death of Emperor Ying Jiuxiao of the Qin State."
"What?"
Sima Chong was shocked. He stood up directly with a shocked look on his face and said, "What did you say? Say it again?"
"Ying Jiuxiao died."
Jian Xingmao answered firmly.
"Hahaha……"
After Sima Chong heard this, he suddenly burst into laughter. His laughter was full of joy, and there was also a sense of freedom to express his heart.
After a long while, Sima Chong stopped laughing.
He paced back and forth in the hall, with an extremely excited look on his face.
"Ying Jiuxiao, the emperor of the Qin Dynasty, is extremely difficult to deal with, and he is also wise and understanding. He can be called a wise king."
"When I was young, I received news from the Qin State that Ying Jiuxiao had suffered a lot since childhood and fought his way out of the mountain of corpses and sea of blood. As an emperor, he had rich experience in governing and was old and powerful. In the Qin State, Ying Jiuxiao was a Root Optimus Prime Stone.”
"No matter how big the storm is in Qin's country, as long as Ying Jiuxiao is there, the situation will not be affected."
"But now, Ying Jiuxiao is gone."
"Okay, that's great."
"If Ying Jiuxiao continues to be in power for another ten or twenty years, then the Qin Dynasty will be invincible. Because Ying Jiuxiao appoints talented people, and employs extremely powerful people. Now that the Qin State does not have this person at the helm, everything will be different."
"Destiny does not lie with the Qin State, but with our Jin State."
Sima Chong murmured to himself while pacing.
The ambition in his heart suddenly grew with the death of Ying Jiuxiao. If Ying Jiuxiao is there, Sima Chong thinks that he is no match for Ying Jiuxiao and is not Ying Jiuxiao's opponent. Although he is also an emperor, he has to admit that compared to Ying Jiuxiao, he is a little inferior.
As for Ying Jiuxiao's heir, Ying Yuqian, in Sima Chong's view, a prince who had not been involved in government affairs for more than ten years suddenly had the opportunity to become the prince of Great Qin. Even if such a person is fully supported by Ying Jiuxiao, he does not have a sufficient foundation and is nothing to be afraid of.
Looking at the situation in the world, Emperor Tian He of Qi State was defeated and died because of his personal expedition. Today's Qi State has a two or three-year-old little emperor, and the government is presided over by Tian Yu and Yan Zichu.
Qi State has long since lost its advantage.
Qin now has no more powerful emperor.
Didn't everything make him, Sima Chong, suddenly stand out?
This is God's favor.
Jian Xingmao stood aside and frowned slightly when he saw the change in Sima Chong's expression. Because the Gongwei Division has information, he knows too much information, and he also knows that although Qin State has lost Jiuxiao, the foundation of Qin State will not be affected in any way.
Qin is still extremely stable.
Under this premise, Qin is not easy to attack.
Jian Xingmao didn't speak either.
He was just a eunuch and did not interfere in the government affairs of the court. Moreover, he was only responsible for delivering the news from the Guards Department and did not give any advice.
After Sima Chong got over his excitement, he sat down again and said in a deep voice: "Send the order to summon Gu Xi, Xie Xuan, Qi Gong, and Shi Yu to the palace for an audience. Oh, let's inform Xie Chong as well. He is very prudent and old and spicy. Participate together.”
Gu Xi was the official minister of the Jin State and the head of the hundred officials.
Xie Xuan is the emperor's confidant.
As for Xie Chong, although he stayed at home for his retirement, Xie Chong's influence in the Jin State was still there, and Sima Chong also brought Xie Chong with him.
Qi Gong is the Minister of the Ministry of War, which involves military arrangements.
Shi Yu was a general of the Jin State.
The chamberlain went to convey the order, but not long after, Gu Xi, Xie Xuan, Xie Chong, Qi Gong and Shi Yu entered together and saluted Sima Chong. The expressions on everyone's faces were a little confused. The emperor suddenly called Xie Chongdu, something big must have happened.
Otherwise, we wouldn’t have gathered so many people.
Sima Chong's excitement was palpable. He flicked his sleeves and said quickly: "I just got the news from the Archguard Department that Emperor Ying Jiuxiao of Qin has passed away."
Wow! !
In the main hall, there was a discussion.
Gu Xi, Xie Xuan and others started talking. These people had witnessed Ying Jiuxiao's decades as emperor.
In the first few years of Ying Jiuxiao's reign, the situation of Qin State was quite difficult and very hard. However, after Ying Jiuxiao came to power, he overcame obstacles, strengthened the army with determination, suppressed the situation internally, and counterattacked hard externally. He resisted the Yan State in the north and controlled the Xia State in the east, and forcibly carved out a place for the Qin Dynasty to survive.
In the end, Da Qin gained a firm foothold.
Such an emperor is extremely powerful, no one can deny this.
"Congratulations to your majesty, congratulations to your majesty."
Gu Xi was the first to speak. His angular face was also filled with a bright smile, and he said with emotion: "On this occasion, the Emperor of Qin has lost Jiuxiao, and I, the State of Jin, should be the leader. The young emperor of Qi died in On the battlefield, only Tian Yu and Yan Zichu are in power in Qi State so far; the old emperor of Qin State has died, people have died, and Qin State has been greatly affected. Only Your Majesty, the Spring and Autumn Period is at its peak, this is our opportunity for Jin State. "
Xie Xuan also said: "Congratulations, Your Majesty."
Qi Gong and Shi Yu also spoke one after another.
Everyone had bright smiles on their faces. Ying Jiuxiao's death was a national mourning for the Qin State, not a national mourning for the Jin State.
This matter has nothing to do with them.
Sima Chong was also in high spirits. He saw that Gu Xi, Xie Xuan and others were all happy, but when he saw that Xie Chong remained silent, he said, "Mr. Xie, why don't you speak?"
When Xie Chong was in office before, he looked old because of his hard work. Now that he is no longer in charge, he feels more energetic.
The whole person looks very hale and hearty.
Xie Chong bowed and said seriously: "Your Majesty, the Great Qin State is mourning, and our Jin State and Qin State are also allies. On this occasion, the old minister thinks that we should send envoys to the Great Qin State to express our condolences. This is our Jin State. It’s a top priority for the country.”
"unnecessary!"
Sima Chong flicked his sleeves and answered decisively.
Xie Chong raised his eyebrows upon hearing this.
What's the meaning?
The emperor directly refused to offer condolences. There was clearly a different meaning in these words.
Xie Chong suddenly thought, did the emperor want to start a war?
Are you trying to take advantage of the situation and fight against Qin? When he thought of this, Xie Chong felt a little worried.
Xie Chong looked serious and asked: "Your Majesty does not send envoys to express condolences. What are your plans?"
Xie Xuan, Gu Xi and others all looked at Sima Chong, waiting for Sima Chong to express his stance.
It all depends on what Sima Chong says.
Sima Chong stood up again, paced back and forth in the hall with his hands behind his back for a long time, his eyes gradually became sharper, and he said in a deep voice: "In the past battle to destroy the Xia Kingdom, our Jin Kingdom claimed to have won Yuzhou, but I am not satisfied."
"The strength of the Jin State is not weaker than that of the Qin State."
"We have hundreds of thousands of troops from the Jin Kingdom."
"However, we only got the land of Yuzhou. In my opinion, we should also seize part of the land of Yanzhou. It's just that Ying Jiuxiao is a very powerful person. With him here, it is not worthwhile for us to go to war with Qin. Not much chance of winning.”
"Even if a war breaks out, even though we are not afraid of Great Qin, the final result will be that both sides will suffer losses. So at the beginning, I was willing to stop fighting."
Sima Chong's voice was ups and downs.
His mood was even more full.
His eyes were already shining and full of aggression, and he continued: "Now the emperor of Qin State, Ying Jiuxiao, is gone, and Qin State has no one in charge of the overall situation. Under this premise, I think we can cooperate with Qin State. The country is at war."
"The State of Jin should forge ahead with determination, expand its territory, and seize the land of Yanzhou. Once Yanzhou, Yuzhou, and Xuzhou are combined into one place, our State of Jin will be stronger than ever."
"You are all ministers of the Jin State. You should know that since the founding of the Jin State, it has never had the territory it has today."
"It is conceivable that once Yanzhou is captured, how powerful Jin will be? Thinking further, Qi is not strong enough. If we capture Yanzhou, we will cut off the connection between Qin and Jizhou. By then, we can even capture part of Jizhou. , Jin will be stronger."
"This is a God-given opportunity."
Sima Chong became more and more excited as he spoke. He spat at the mouth and said happily: "This is not only my opportunity, but also your opportunity. I will be an unprecedented master of opening up territories. You, too, will become a great nation. The hero of Jin's expansion of territory. What do you think?"
"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"
After Gu Xi heard this, he became excited.
This is indeed an opportunity.
As Sima Chong mentioned, when Ying Jiuxiao was there, Jin and Qin went to war, and it was not easy to win. Now that the Qin State wins Jiuxiao and dies, there will definitely be a transition and change in the Qin State's court. The Qin State is busy with internal affairs and does not have enough energy to fight.
This is Jin's opportunity.
If we don’t fight now, then when?
Gu Xi looked serious, cupped his hands and said, "My lord, I agree to a war with Qin."
Xie Xuan echoed: "I also agree with a war."
Qi Gong's eyes were sharp and he continued: "Now Jin and Qi are also in alliance. Qi and Qin have a deep hatred. Don't look at Qi temporarily giving in to Qin. After all, all the emperors of Qi died in Qin's army. .”
"With such a feud, Qi will never give up."
"This time we go to war with Qin, we can unite with Qi, and the two countries attack Qin. When the time comes, Qin will be unable to withstand it."
"Your Majesty just mentioned a very important point, and that is Jizhou. We can promise to return most of Jizhou to Qi. In this way, Qi will benefit, and we will also benefit. It will be the best of both worlds."
As the Minister of War, Qi Gong naturally hopes to start a war.
When there is a war, there is a matter for the Ministry of War.
This is an opportunity not to be missed.
Shi Yu looked like he was gearing up. He was a general in the army, and his value as a soldier was only when there was war.
Shi Yu looked sharp and clasped his fists and said: "Your Majesty, I am willing to lead the army to fight. Our Jin country has not been weaker than the north since ancient times. However, the barbarians in the north are self-righteous and think that we southerners are weak. This time, they will attack our Jin country. The majesty of the country."
Xie Chong sighed inwardly.
A group of people, a group of young people, saw a little benefit, and screamed for a fight.
But fighting is never that easy.
Moreover, the war with Qin was led by Jin. You must know that the previous joint attack on Xia State was led by Qin State. In the previous joint attack on Qi State, Qin State took the lead, and Jin State followed suit and gained many benefits.
The current situation is actually inappropriate.
Xie Chong looked at the situation of the people and wanted to speak out to dissuade them, but seeing the looks on the people's faces, he knew not to pour cold water on them directly.
Otherwise, he will be attacked by the group.
Xie Chong was unwilling to interfere too much and put himself at a disadvantage, so he took the initiative and said: "Your Majesty, if we want to go to war with the Qin State, it is best to unite the Qi State and the Yan State first. The Yan State has always exploited every opportunity. If we suppress Qin and Yan come uninvited, so they will naturally attack Qin."
"So the key is still Qi State."
"With Qi State sending troops, we will be more confident in dealing with Qin State."
"The old minister thinks that we should first send envoys to Qi State to negotiate with Qi State."
Xie Chong's plan was simple. He would wait a while and let the emperor send envoys to contact him. If Qi does not send troops and Jin is unable to support itself, the emperor may not send troops.
Gu Xi shook his head and retorted: "Mr.
Sima Chong's eyes were sharp and he nodded and said: "My opinion is the same as Gu Xi's. This battle is a God-given opportunity and cannot be missed. As the saying goes, God will be blamed for not taking action. Once the opportunity of this battle is missed, the Jin Kingdom will It’s impossible to expand anymore.”
Shi Yu echoed: "Your Majesty is wise!"
Xie Xuandao: "Your Majesty is wise."
Everyone kept talking, and they all praised Sima Chong and agreed with the suggestion of sending troops. Because everyone thinks that Ying Jiuxiao's death is indeed a God-given opportunity for Jin.
Everyone wants to expand.
Everyone wants to make meritorious deeds.
In life, you have to make meritorious service, establish virtue, and establish reputation. These are the three immortal things. As long as you can do one of them, your life is worth it. Whether it was Sima Chong, Gu Xi, Xie Xuan and others, they all had ideas.
Xie Chong shook his head inwardly. He could not stop him and said: "Your Majesty has decided. I second my opinion."
"That's good."
Sima Chong nodded.
He thought for a while and said in a deep voice: "Now that we want to unite the Qi countries, who is the most suitable person to send as an envoy?"
Gu Xi said: "Your Majesty, Xie Xuan was in the Qin State in the past. As our Jin State's stationed in the Qin State, he was eloquent. This time, I suggest that Xie Xuan go there. Go back quickly and complete the alliance as soon as possible. . And this matter shouldn’t be difficult.”
"I am willing to go."
Xie Xuan answered immediately.
Sima Chong nodded, nodded and said: "Then it's settled. In terms of diplomacy, Xie Xuan is in charge of the alliance; in terms of internal affairs, Gu Xi will coordinate with the household department and start allocating grain, grass and equipment to prepare for the next war; in terms of military strength, Shi Yu and Qi Gong cooperated to mobilize troops and horses. For this battle, 150,000 troops were mobilized to go north."
"Here!"
Gu Xi, Xie Xuan, Shi Yu, and Qi Gong all answered in unison.
"Back off."
Sima Chong waved his hand.
Everyone retreated and went about their business, while Xie Xuan and Xie Chong went back in a carriage.
Xie Xuan looked serious and said in a deep voice: "Father, do you think that my son wants to persuade His Majesty that you don't want Jin to send troops?"
"well……"
Xie Chong sighed.
Xie Xuan frowned and said in a deep voice: "Father, why are you sighing? Your Majesty's analysis is actually correct. Now that Ying Jiuxiao dies, it is indeed an opportunity for our Jin country. The Qin country has no leader, and the court has not adjusted yet. It is difficult for Qin to resist sending troops now. Moreover, there is also the hatred between Qi and Qin, so it is the right time to unite Qi to send troops. If this opportunity is missed, it will be difficult to plan against Qin."
Xie Chong looked serious. He stroked the beard under his chin and said slowly: "Every one of you, you all want to take advantage of his illness to kill him and attack Qin. But in fact, how can Qin be so easy to attack? ?”
"On the one hand, the cavalry in the north is everywhere, and the way they fight on the battlefield is completely different. Even our Jin country has cavalry, but Qin's cavalry is known to the world. If we want to attack Qin, we do not have an advantage in terms of troop allocation."
"On the other hand, Jin's continuous victories gave everyone the illusion that Jin was invincible. But everyone forgot that in every war, Qin was the main force in the attack."
"Third, although Qin Ying Jiuxiao died of illness, all the civil and military officers of Qin are here. All of them are experienced. As long as the newly appointed emperor does not seek death, how can he be defeated?"
"Fourth, the Emperor of Qin had just passed away, and Jin made a surprise attack. This was very unethical and not what a country of etiquette should do. What we did gave people the impression that it was a sneak attack and was not the work of a great country."
"Fifth, after the death of the Emperor of Qin, we launched a surprise attack. If the news reached Qin, it would anger countless Qin people, and make the Qin people share the same enemy and unite as one. In terms of people's hearts, Qin must be holding back With a breath of air.”
Xie Chong talked eloquently and analyzed: "In short, I am not optimistic about this fight. Unfortunately, all of you are blinded. Each of you only sees the benefits and does not see the potential threats."
Xie Xuan was thoughtful after hearing this.
Father's analysis does make some sense.
Xie Xuan thought for a while and said: "My son agrees with what my father said. But no matter what, now is an opportunity, so my son thinks he can still give it a try. Even if it fails, it doesn't matter. Once it is a victory, then again So many opportunities.”
"That's all, it's up to you."
Xie Chong shook his head.
When people are carried away by interests, it is difficult to dissuade them, and Xie Chong will no longer interfere.
The father and son returned to their house, Xie Chong was still reading, while Xie Xuan changed his clothes and headed north to Linzi, Qi State.
