Handan Dabeicheng, Xifang.
The autumn wind is bleak, and the leaves of the locust trees that are no longer green on both sides of the street are falling with the wind. The fallen leaves are like golden butterflies flying in the sky quietly landing in the world. A carriage suddenly sped past, passing over the falling flowers and butterflies in the air, crushing over the golden carpet on the ground, and stirring up a gust of wind.
The people on the carriage were not in the mood of this bleak scenery at this time. The carriage rolled over the fallen leaves on the ground and slowly drove to the outside of the Pang family's house.
Pang Nuan got off the carriage, brushed the two butterflies on his sleeves, and hurriedly called the guards to move the weapons and equipment that had just been issued from the arsenal into the courtyard. Then he stepped through the corridor door, passed through the outer courtyard, and headed towards the inner hall.
The little maidservant who was waiting outside the hall came back. She hurriedly stepped forward and obediently took off her master's robe. She saw that the master's hair crown had been stained with a fallen locust tree leaf at some point, so she carefully brushed it off for the master. He didn't seem to notice her subtle movements, and there was always a look of joy that was difficult to conceal on his face.
The well-behaved little maid couldn't help but secretly feel happy because of Pang Nuan's influence. She thought to herself: This young master of ours has always been dull and fierce, with a bitter face all day long, why is he so happy today.
"Master, has something happy happened to you?" The little maid kneeled on the ground, took off her shoes for Pang Nuan, raised her head and asked timidly.
The Pang family is different from ordinary nobles with surnames. To the State of Zhao, the Pang family was an outsider, and Pang Gong had personally experienced the great changes in the Pang family in the State of Wei. In order to prevent the Pang family from making the same mistakes in the State of Zhao, he taught the children of the Pang family to be friendly to their friends from an early age, even though he was a military strategist. Don’t just be good at battle formations. Therefore, the Pang family has always treated their servants and attendants extremely favorably.
But servants are servants after all. After hearing what the little girl said, the slightly older maid who knelt down next to her quickly reached out and quietly tugged on the hem of the little girl's dress. Although they are chambermaids and have a higher status, they are not allowed to talk to their masters at will. She secretly made up her mind to teach this little girl well when the time came to change.
Pang Nuan was also stunned for a moment, then nodded towards his mother, and couldn't help but look at the mother he knew well. Naturally, he couldn't detect her thoughts. Pang Nuan smiled and rubbed the girl's hair without any intention of blaming her.
After the maid changed out of his court clothes, Pang Nuan walked through the wooden shoes and hurriedly walked indoors.
*
The weather outside was gloomy, and the interior was slightly dim. The candlelight emitted a weak light, which reflected the two old men sitting opposite each other.
As soon as Pang Nuan entered the room, he heard his grandfather sigh and said, "Brother, who taught you Zuo Feng Tianyuan? I can't understand it." It turned out that his grandfather and his husband lost another game of chess.
Pang Nuan took a step forward, bowed respectfully to the two of them, and said, "Pang Nuan would like to say hello to my grandfather and sir."
He Guanzi laughed, glanced at Pang Nuan, and said to his old friend in front of him: "Nuan is going to court. Look at Nuan's happy face, something good must happen. Let's talk about playing chess with friends another day."
After hearing this, Pang Gong had no choice but to shake his head helplessly, and then ordered the maid to put away the chessboard and chess pieces on the table. He turned around and scolded Pang Nuan: "How did I teach you, always keep your true form in your heart and cover it with a false mask to recognize people. Looking at today, your true self is all revealed on your face."
Pang Nuan leaned on the ground and said, "Nuan will remember the reprimand of our ancestors."
With a smile on his face, He Guanzi defended Pang Nuan and said, "Nuan must have an extraordinary happy event today, which is why he can't keep it in his heart."
Pang Nuan cupped his hands towards He Guanzi and said, "Mr. Mingjian."
Pang Gong glared at him, and then said: "On the night of the Autumn Festival, the red feather messenger entered the capital. It has already spread in Handan. There should be war at the border. The king may have mentioned this in the court meeting today."
Pang Nuan replied truthfully: "The king announced to all his ministers that Hong Ling was actually sent by Dai Di."
"Lou Fan, or Lin Hu, are you on the other side?" Pang Gong asked immediately.
Pang Nuan shook his head slightly and said: "On the day when Daixian Magistrate was patrolling the building in late autumn, he happened to encounter Loufan plundering Guoyi, so he captured Chief Hu alive with force! Chief Hu couldn't bear the criminal law, so he told Daixian Magistrate that the Erhu would join forces to join forces. , will hunt me Zhao."
"Good! As expected of Lou Yan's son." Pang Gong sighed.
After Lou was named Zhao Ying, Lou Yan and Pang Gong were generals in the same dynasty. The two were similar in age and had a good relationship. However, Lou Yan died in the battle against Qin in Hedong. Pang Gong sighed for a moment, then frowned slightly. Erhu meets Zhao, this does not seem like a happy event.
Based on his understanding of the various tribes of the Hu people, Lou Fan and Lin Hu had always been at odds with each other, but today the two tribes were raising troops together, and he felt something was wrong.
He Guanzi stood up suddenly, walked to the small map on the side, and murmured: "Erhus have been together for a long time... Erhus have been for a long time... It is difficult for the troops of the earth to stand alone for a long time."
Although Zhao's troops on behalf of the land were numerous and strong, their defensive border was also relatively long. Dai Di defended Zhongshan in the south, Yan State in the east, followed by Erhu in the north and west.
Pang Gong also stood up and walked to He Guanzi. He analyzed it secretly with the help of weak candlelight: "On the eve of the Autumn Festival, I heard that Jinyang had just recruited troops. I originally wanted to defend against Qin. Now Qin has made good friends with me, Zhao. Perhaps the troops from Jinyang can be sent to rush to help. Or the troops from Wucheng can be sent to Wucheng. Wucheng originally wanted to defend Qi, but now that Qi is in decline, it is afraid that it will not be able to invade the west..."
The two elders were analyzing their own opinions, forgetting for a moment that Pang Nuan was sitting behind them.
Pang Nuan didn't dare to disturb him for a while, so he could only let the two elders worry about it.
He Guanzi stroked his beard and said: "Although Qi is declining, it is not disabled, and there are Zhongshan wolves in the north, eyeing the tigers. I think the soldiers in Wucheng should not be touched lightly. As for the soldiers in Jinyang..." He Guanzi paused, and then As if thinking of something, he turned back to Pang Nuan and asked, "Has the King ever mentioned sending troops to help?"
When Pang Gong heard these words, he also looked back.
Pang Nuan smiled bitterly and replied truthfully: "The king wanted to prevent the Erhu from being deceived. He said that the Erhu was the forerunner of Qin and Yan, and Jinyang's soldiers were originally marching to defend Qin, so the king ordered Jinyang's soldiers to stay still to prevent Qin from attacking. I am in the east of Hedong. I am also afraid that Zhongshan and Qi will take advantage of the fire to rob me, so I order the soldiers in Wucheng and Xingxiang to stay still. I also ordered Mou, Pingyi and other difficult line defenders to be on guard to prevent Wei from attacking the border."
After hearing this, He Guanzi nodded happily and said: "The king of Zhao has great vision. The threat from Qin, Qi, and Zhongshan is greater than that of the Hu captives. However, what kind of troops does the king want to replace?"
"The king wants to use the three standing battalions in Handan as the main ones to conquer the North in person!" Pang Nuan replied truthfully.
"Personally conquered!" Pang Gong was suddenly shocked.
But He Guanzi stroked his beard and said: "The three standing camps were originally set up to defend the capital Handan. Now they are all transferred to the north, and they are also conquering the north personally. How courageous!" After that, he smiled slightly and asked Pang Nuan: "Zhao The king has appointed you to a new position."
Pang Nuan bowed to the two of them and then informed them of Zhao Yong's appointment.
"New Army Lieutenant!" Pang Gong said in surprise.
He naturally knows the weight of this position. Although the position of soldier and lieutenant is not high, he has real power. The most important thing is the new army.
"What the servant said came true. The new army is the army of King Zhao's confidants, and the reform of the cavalry is also the first step in the reform of the military system. Now the Zhao State's reform is unstoppable, and the king has appointed Nuan as a cavalry brigade captain. This is enough to show that King Zhao has great influence on Pang. Take it seriously." He Guanzi said slowly.
…
…
Zhao State's large-scale mobilization of troops naturally cannot be hidden from the eyes and ears of interested people.
Various princely states and various forces responded differently to this.
The capital of Wei is Daliang City, five hundred miles away from Handan in the south.
Zhang Yi, who was the first Prime Minister of Wei, was sitting leisurely in the courtyard of the Prime Minister's Mansion of Wei, quietly watching the autumn wind sweep down. He sat crookedly on the soft floor, comfortably sipping the fine tea from the land of Bashu.
Compared with Nanyang bitter tea, the tea produced in Bashu has a significantly better taste and a more mellow aroma.
When he was in Qin State, he fell in love with this refreshing drink, and he would feel a little happy after drinking it.
Zhang Yi took a sip of tea and enjoyed the autumn afternoon.
The plan in Wei State went much smoother than he thought, and the strife within the Wei court was much more complicated than he imagined. The King of Wei was old and confused, and his old rival Gongsun Yan was easily defeated again. out.
The five kingdoms were once again fragmented before they achieved even an inch of success.
Although the wars in various countries were more or less beyond his expectations, people's hearts are unpredictable. Fortunately, the situation has been developing in a good direction and in a direction that is good for Qin.
Suddenly a breeze blew up in the courtyard, blowing through two or three dead leaves on the branches. When the wind subsided, a man in black stood bowing behind Zhang Yi.
The face is covered with a mask, the figure is tall, and the breasts are obviously slightly raised. The man in black said with a hoarse voice: "Xiangbang, this is an urgent report from the State of Zhao." She took two steps forward and respectfully handed over a brocade bag with both hands.
Zhang Yi took it casually, opened the seal of the brocade bag, and took out a piece of bamboo slip inside.
There was only a short line of writing on the slip. He scanned it carefully and then casually threw it into the charcoal basin next to him, and the flames suddenly started.
Zhang Yi raised his head and drank the tea from the cup. When his sleeves and robe fell down, the pleasant expression on his face had disappeared, and instead he became solemn. Zhang Yi immediately stood up, stroked the crown on his head, and strode out of the house.
The breeze passed by again, and the man in black robe behind him disappeared without knowing when.
*
Zhang Yi came out of the Prime Minister's Mansion and drove straight to the Palace of Wei.
King Zhao's personal expedition and the emptiness of Handan obviously gave him an opportunity, but it was obvious that this opportunity was not easy to grasp. The reason why Zhang Yi turned his back on Qin and entered Wei was just as Zhao Yong thought. It was just a trick of the Qin State, with the purpose of alienating and disintegrating the alliance.
After Zhang Yi discussed with Ying Si, he decided to use himself as a pawn and enter Wei personally to take the most critical step.
When he first entered Wei, the King of Wei did not listen to Zhang Yi's words, but Qin turned to attack Wei and once again captured Hexi of Wei to pressure Wei to expel Gongsun Yan.
The King of Wei was indeed old. The defeat in Hexi completely destroyed his confidence in resisting Qin. Above the Wei court, there were also favorite ministers Tian Xun and Zhang Shou who jointly made suggestions to expel Gongsun Yan.
There were strong enemies oppressing him from outside and jealousy from his rulers and ministers at home, so Gongsun Yan gave up and went into seclusion.
*
The journey was smooth, and half an hour later, Zhang Yi met the King of Wei at the Chao Palace of the King of Wei.
Wei Ying's mental state does not seem to be very good these days, or it has been very bad since the defeat of the Wei-Korean coalition.
Wei Ying has even eaten less in the past few days. He deeply feels that his end is coming, but he is unwilling to let go like this. He is afraid and afraid that after his death, he will go underground and not know how to explain to his father and ancestors.
Anxiety, unwillingness, fear and other emotions have been lingering in his heart for the past few days, making it difficult for him to breathe under the pressure. As a result, his face now looks extremely withered, his originally slightly shiny white hair has become like weeds after autumn, and his pair of bright tiger boys have also drooped down.
"Why is Xiangbang so eager to enter the palace today?" Wei Ying asked in a weak tone.
In fact, Wei Ying could vaguely sense Zhang Yi's intentions. He was not an idiot. Everything was too coincidental. But what can he do?
The situation in the Wei Kingdom is over. He is old and no longer has the energy of a young man. Now he just wants to leave some seeds for Wei while he is alive. When he can't see new hope, he doesn't dare to gamble anymore, and he can't afford to gamble.
Now he can only keep company with the hungry tiger of Qin, cutting meat to feed the tiger, just hoping that the hungry tiger can bite others first.
Zhang Yi replied truthfully: "Your Majesty, I have received a secret message. The barbarians are raging in northern Xinjiang. King Zhao is about to march north, and all the troops from Handan will be transferred north. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Gu, I would like to ask your Majesty to help you as soon as possible. Send troops to attack Zhao."
When Wei Ying heard these words, his expression was not shocked at all. His godless eyes slowly scanned the ministers of His Highness, and he said leisurely: "What do you think of the attack on Zhao?"
Wei Xin, the senior official of the clan, glanced at Zhang Yi and bowed to Wei Ying, who was above him, and said: "We, the State of Wei, have just been defeated in Hexi. I am afraid that we will not be able to attack Zhao today. Moreover, our State of Wei formed an alliance with Zhao first. How can we do it now?" Betray the alliance and attack Zhao?"
Zhang Yi immediately refuted: "The alliance between the three Jins is not worthy of its name. When Wei and Qin were fighting, where was Zhao? Pretending to send troops and arriving late, I think it is just Zhao's perfunctory behavior. Zhao betrayed the alliance. First, why not attack Zhao today?"
The favored minister Tian Xian also echoed: "Your Majesty, what Xiangbang said is true. We, the state of Wei, Guanze and Qi fought a war, and sent the three lands of Dunqiu to the state of Zhao. Zhao benefited from us, Wei, and had an alliance first. As a result, However, the State of Zhao pretended to help and deceived me, Wei. Today, it is in line with nature for me, Wei, to attack Zhao."
After Tian needed to say these words, those who were about to speak out against the attack on Zhao shut up in anger.
Wei Ying then turned to Wei Si and asked, "What do you think, the prince?"
The prince thought for a moment and replied: "I think it is not appropriate to attack Zhao. Zhao did not help Wei, but it did not harm Wei. The summer floods were the most serious for Zhao, so there may be reasons for not helping Wei. Now we, Wei, are using He Zong serves as the basis to control the other countries. It is still unclear whether the attack on Zhao will succeed or not. Gu'erchen believes that the national policy cannot be changed lightly."
After Wei Si said this, he couldn't help but glance towards Zhang Yi.
Zhang Yi raised her eyes slightly, but did not refute. He stepped forward to the huge map on the left side of the hall, stretched out his hand and pointed lightly, and said: "The prince is keen to unite, but in my opinion, it is absolutely not feasible at this time. Although in the past few years, our country, Wei, has formed brothers with other countries. The country is very lively, but the sages once said that brothers will also take action because of uneven interests. Nowadays, the interests of various countries are complicated, how can they truly form allies? If you want to maintain the alliance relationship with those false oaths, I think It’s impossible. Gu Chen believes that if our country of Wei wants to come and go freely, we should be Lian Heng!”
