News of Xiang Liang's crossing reached Jiangbei, and those who were afraid of Zhang Han regarded him as their savior. One day, Lu Chen was discussing matters in Chencheng's mansion. Suddenly Wang Zhi's family came to report that Wang Zhi returned home and committed suicide on hunger strike. After hearing this, Lu Chen said to everyone in great pain: "Master Wang went on a hunger strike because he failed to protect the king! The reason why the king was defeated so quickly was because that boy Qin Jia did not rescue him. I I heard that the king's temper became violent. It started when he heard that the boy killed Wu Pingjun. Later, he became suspicious of everyone, which led to the disunity of the Chu people and their final defeat. Now we should attack Qin Jia with all our strength. Come and avenge his bloodthirsty revenge!" After saying this, he asked people to take some money and give it to Wang Zhi's family first, and asked him to go back and bury his master, and then discussed with everyone about raising an army.
Lu Chen's father, Lu Qing, heard that his son was going to send troops to attack Qin Jia, so he rushed to Lu Chen and said, "This is a bad idea to subjugate the country!" After hearing what his father said, Lu Chen was shocked and said, "What do you think, father?" Lu Qing said: "Donghai County is hundreds of miles away from Chencheng. According to the art of war, 'attacking an enemy thousands of miles away may not necessarily lead to victory.' Moreover, although Zhang Han left here, he is not far away. If he comes again, If you attack Chencheng, you will be finished?" Lu Chen was convinced with one sentence. Lu Qing added: "I recently heard that Xiang Liang has crossed the river and gone north. You should get in touch with him as soon as possible and then deal with Zhang Han together. This is the best policy!" Lu Chen felt that his father's words were very reasonable, so he immediately sent someone Go to the southeast to inquire about Xiang Liang.
Qin Jia killed Lord Wu Ping and made himself the Grand Sima. Later, when he found out that King Zhang Chu was indeed dead, he wanted to make himself King of Chu. But I was afraid that others would be dissatisfied, so I never made up my mind. At this time, two people suddenly came. One of them was Ning Jun, and the other was named Gongsun Qing. It turned out that Ning Jun came to Dongyang County after he helped Shusun Tong persuade Wei Bao to seize Fengyi. There is a friend in the county named Gongsun Qing. He is very eloquent, but because of his ordinary appearance, he did not come out to seek official positions. Once, a physiognomist looked at him and said: "Sir, you are a genius. If you become an official, you will definitely leave your name in history. But you have an evil look on your face, and you might be in trouble. You want to live in peace and quiet?" May I ask you to be a hermit with a pure heart and few desires for the rest of your life?" After hearing this, Gongsun Qing thought about it and sighed: "When a man is born in the world, he should make great achievements and be famous in history! How can he live in obscurity and seclusion? ?" He put aside his inferiority complex and took the initiative to come to Ning Jun to talk about life. The two of them had a very congenial conversation. At this juncture, news came from the city that Qin Jia was preparing to proclaim himself king. The two of them made plans and prepared to come to see Qin Jia, hoping to make a difference in politics.
That day they came to see Qin Jia. After the visit, Ning Jun first said: "The general's righteous deeds are really admired by people from far and near. However, since ancient times, when it comes to establishing kings and establishing institutions, one must be cautious and think about things..." Qin Jia said Interrupting Ning Jun's words, he said: "You can talk when you talk, and fart when you fart. Don't be polite, you don't understand the ball!" Gongsun Qing saw that Qin Jia was a rough man, and there was no need to pay attention to literary talent, so he said straightforwardly: " If the general declares himself King of Chu now, he will end up like King Zhang Chu!" Qin Jia saw that Gongsun Qing had a narrow forehead, flat head, protruding cheekbones and concave nose, short stature, and ugly appearance. He didn't like it at first, and now he heard what he said. The unlucky words immediately made him angry and said: "You're a madman, you're new here, you dare to talk nonsense, what's your intention?" Gongsun Qing laughed loudly. Qin Jia felt puzzled and asked: "Crazy man, why are you laughing?" Gongsun Qing said with a smile: "I am here to persuade the general not to become king. What can I do to make you so angry?" Qin Jia said: "Okay then. , just tell me why you can't be king? If you don't agree with what you say, I'll chop off your head!" Gongsun Qing then talked eloquently: "There are three reasons why you can't be king: First, Zhang Chu has just been defeated, and the people only We know that there is King Zhang Chu, but we don’t know that there are other King Zhang and King Li. If you claim the title of king, the people will definitely not support you. Secondly, although King Zhang Chu died, his tribe has not dispersed. If someone summons them again Up, their combat power is still very strong. If they attack you once, you will be in disaster. Thirdly, your territory is very small and you have no foundation. Once you become king, you will inevitably be attacked by Zhang Han first. .For these three reasons, will it be dangerous for the general to become king?"
After Qin Jia listened, he remained silent. After a while, he said: "Although what you said makes sense, sir, I don't have a good name. If I want to raise troops to rebel against Qin, what name can I use to call on the people?" Gongsun Qing Said: "The general's concern is correct. Qin destroyed the six kingdoms, and Chu was the most unjust. In the past, King Huai of Chu died in Qin, and the people sympathized with him very much. But King Zhang Chu did not establish his descendants, but became king himself. This is Using the name of Zhang Da Chu to seek personal gain for him cannot last long. Now if the general can comply with the people's wishes and proceed from the wishes of the people of Chu and appoint a descendant of the King of Chu, the situation will be very different!" Qin Jia At this time, I felt that what Gongsun Qing said was very reasonable, so he accepted the suggestion and said happily: "Sir's words are indeed reasonable, but I am ignorant and have spoken rudely to you. Now, can you please stay and act as my counselors? "Ning Jun and Gongsun Qing stayed. Qin Jia then sent people to search for the descendants of King Chu and inquire about Zhang Han.
But after a long time, Qin Jia never found the descendants of the King of Chu. He only visited the descendants of a noble of the Chu state. This man's name is Jing Ju, and he is the grandson of Jing Yang, the famous general of Chu State. Qin Jia had no choice but to make Jing Ju the king of Chu and make Tancheng his capital. Qin Jia took up the post of Shangzhu State and commanded all the troops. The new King of Chu named Ning Jun Ling Yin and Gongsun Qing Situ. Zhujishi, Ding Ji, Dong Ji, and Zheng Bu were the generals. Kong Fan and Kong Long were captains. He also enfeoffed other officials and occupied Donghai County from then on. He justifiably mobilized his troops and raised the banner of anti-Qin. This was the third king of Chu after Chen She and Xiang Qiang.
Qin Jia supported Jing Ju in Tancheng and proclaimed himself Queen of Chu, and wanted to seize Sishui County. At this time, news of Xiang Liang's northward journey also came. Qin Jia thought that Xiang Liang was the son of Xiang Yan. With his influence, Sishui County would be conquered. If he won it, the people of Chu would respond to him, so he quickly said to the new king of Chu: "Now that Zhang Han has destroyed Zhang Chu, he is very arrogant. He will definitely attack Surabaya. Surabaya is very close to us, so rather than let Qin It is better for us to capture the country than to capture it." King Chu said: "Everything must be subject to the arrangements of Shangzhu Kingdom." Qin Jia said: "You have become the Queen of Chu, but the hearts of the people have not yet surrendered. Qi, Wei, Yan, Zhao and other countries may not recognize it. Your title is yours, so I first asked you to conquer the land and increase your strength, so that you can keep pace with the princes. Recently, I came to report that a man named Liu Bang killed the governor of Sishui County, so there must be no one to manage Sishui County. If you attack Xiangcheng at that time, the city will definitely be easily accessible." The new king said: "Ai Qing's decision is correct." After hearing this, Ning Jun said to Shangzhu Guo: "I heard that Xiang Liang will definitely pass through the country when he goes north. Surabaya, we should take the initiative to contact him. Xiang Liang is the son of Xiang Yan. With his reputation, the Chu region will soon be pacified." This just touched on Qin Jia's pain point, and Qin Jia said: "Now Zhao Guo He and Wang Li were stalemate in the north, and Wei Jiu and Li You were squaring off in Linji. Only Zhang Han defeated Zhang Chu, and his arrogance was at its peak. How could our Chu State be able to deal with Zhang Han without strong foreign aid? What if we formed an alliance with Qi State? If we form an alliance, our strength will be stronger. As for Xiang Liang, although he is behind the generals, he has just launched an army after all. How can he go to war with the Qin army?" After hearing Qin Jia's words, the King of Chu also felt that it made sense. He agreed: "Yes, it is right to form an alliance with Qi. But we have no contact with Qi, how can we form an alliance?" At this time, Situ recommended himself: "I am willing to be an envoy to Qi. With his sharp tongue, he persuaded Chu and Qi to form an alliance and jointly deal with Zhang Han!" Qin Jia was very happy and asked Gongsun Situ to immediately go to Qi as an envoy.
Gongsun Situ set out on the same day. He worked tirelessly all the way to Linzi City. At this time, Qi State had occupied Jiaodong, and Langye, Jibei and other counties were already a big country in the east. The King of Qi held banquets with his ministers every day and regarded himself as the founding king of the country. His younger brothers Tian Rong and Tian Heng assisted in handling government affairs. After Gongsun Qing arrived in Linyang, he walked straight to the palace and prepared to enter the palace when he arrived at the palace gate. However, the officials guarding the gate refused to inform Gongsun Qing when they saw him. Gongsun Qing argued for a long time, but the officials still refused to inform him. Not only that, they also demanded bribes. Gongsun Qing had an idea and rushed in, then shouted loudly: "I want to see King Qi. If you don't report for me, you will lose your head if you delay the important matter!" King Qi was accompanying his beloved concubine at this time. While eating, I heard shouting and asked unhappily: "Who is shouting?" Someone reported: "Your Majesty, there is a man who claims to be Situ of Chu and insists on seeing you. Don't we think Chu has been destroyed by Qin? , where did Situ Li come from? So there was no notification, but he insisted on seeing you and couldn't stop him." King Qi thought for a while and said: "Let him come in!"
When Gongsun Qing saw Queen Qi, he shouted loudly: "Situ of Chu State pays homage to King Qi!" King Qi did not raise his head, glanced at Gongsun Qing from the corner of his eye, and asked coldly: "Hasn't Chu State been conquered by Zhang Han? ?" Gongsun Qing replied: "How could the Kingdom of Chu be destroyed? When one King of Chu disappears, thousands of King Chu will appear. Moreover, victory or defeat is a common thing for military strategists. What's strange about the current defeat? I am now On the order of the King of Chu, I came to discuss a plan with the State of Qi to deal with Zhang Han together!" Upon hearing this, the King of Qi said contemptuously: "To discuss a plan together! Let me ask you, how is your war situation?" Gongsun Qing replied: "The State of Chu He sent troops to attack in four directions, and Zhou Wen's army once broke into Hangu Pass and almost destroyed the Qin State!" King Qi asked again: "Listen to you, has Chu State captured the Qin Emperor? Guanzhong is already under his control. Chu?" Gongsun Qing said sternly: "That's not true. However, although the Qin State is tyrannical, there are indeed as many people as strategists in the temples, and the number of people who are accustomed to fighting is as numerous as stars. In addition, Guanzhong is victorious in form. It has the dangerous strategic points of Yaoshan Mountain and Hangu Pass in the east, Longshan Mountain in the west as a barrier, Wei River in the north as a moat, and Huashan Mountain in the south as a perimeter. It is known as the "Hundred and Two Qin Passes". Therefore, the powerful Qin State in a short time It cannot be eradicated yet." King Qi smiled and said: "You have been talking for a long time, but it turns out that it is all nonsense! I heard that the city of Chen has been captured by the Qin State, and your King Chu is also dead. Why doesn't the Chu State admit defeat?"
Gongsun Qing was not surprised and continued: "Your Majesty, 'Although Chu has three households, if Qin is destroyed, Chu will definitely die.' Chu State took the lead in the uprising again, and the heroes in the world all looked up to him after hearing the name of King Zhang Chu. As for the war, he lost by chance. , this is not a strange thing, but Zhang Han is still rampant now. It is because Chu, Qi, Wei, Zhao, and Yan could not coordinate properly that the Chu army went deep alone and suffered a defeat. Despite this, only Chu State can still compete with Qin State. How stubborn is Chu State? Why did the king say that Chu State refused to admit defeat? Where did we lose?" King Qi suddenly changed his color and said: "Chen Sheng is dead, but you come here to pretend to be from Chu State. Situ, get out of here quickly!" Gongsun Qing, however, was not discouraged and continued: "When a Chu king falls, countless Chu kings will stand up! The people have already supported Jing, the grandson of Jingyang, the clan clan of Chu State. Now that Ju has become the King of Chu, the Chu Kingdom will not be cut off and its banner will not fall. In the near future, the Chu Kingdom will definitely enter Guanzhong again!"
After hearing this, the King of Qi felt confused and asked: "What? What? What did you say? Jingju became the King of Chu, where did Jingju come from? Who established him? Why didn't you come to Qi to ask for instructions? Why do you want to establish a king casually?" Gongsun Qing asked: "The king has made himself the king of Qi without asking the Chu State for instructions. Why does the King of Chu ask the King of Qi for instructions? What's more, the State of Chu is the first to attack, so it should be the order of the world!" The King of Qi was furious. He pointed at Gongsun Qing and cursed: "You stinking nerd, how dare you contradict me! Left and right! Push him out and behead him!" Gongsun Qing was pushed out by the guards.
It happened that the doctor Wu Lan came to the entrance of the hall on business. When he saw the warriors tying up a man and preparing to behead him, he shouted: "Save someone under the sword!" Wu Lan hurriedly stepped forward to ask about the situation, and saw that the man tied up was from the Chu State. Situ quickly entered the palace and said to the king: "I heard that Qin Jia has made Jing Ju the king of Chu, and the capital is in Tancheng. This is absolutely true. Gongsun Qing is indeed a Situ of Chu. If he is killed, , it will cause discord between the two families. Besides, there is no hatred between Qi and Chu in the first place. Why would the king kill the Situ of Chu who came to befriend him?" King Qi said angrily: "What nonsense King Chu? You haven't acknowledged him yet? Look at how stubborn that guy was just now, it really pissed me off!" Then someone beat Gongsun Qing out with a stick.
