"Qi State? Isn't Qi State busy attacking Song State now?" King Yan Ji Shuo put down the slip in his hand, turned his head and asked Ju Sheng.
"The State of Qi has now sent spies everywhere and deployed heavy troops on the border between Yan and Zhao." Jusheng, the prime minister of Yan, saw the king asking this, so he handed the silk book he had prepared in his sleeve to the eunuch. Then he continued: "I am afraid that our country, Yan, will send troops to attack Qin today, which may cause emptiness in the country." If Qi State takes advantage of the situation and attacks Yan State, our border may be in danger..." Ju Sheng said worriedly.
Ji Shuo took two steps forward, took the border war report from the eunuch's hand, and examined it carefully by the dim candlelight.
After a while. King Yan's face, which was already a little gray, became upset because of the news in the silk book. Coupled with the fact that Qi and blood were not flowing smoothly, his face became even paler.
Seeing the hesitation in the king's brother's eyes, the young master stood up and bowed his head and said: "Your Majesty, now that the King of Qi has rejected the three Jins and cannot unite, why can't we, the Yan State, just like the Qi State, be isolated from the outside world? At this time, we are attacking Qin with the three Jins. What good will it do to my country, Yan?"
Ji Shuo didn't answer for a while.
After he calmed down, he said to the two of them: "Please go down first, I will think about it later."
"Your Majesty, we need to do it as soon as possible..." The young master tried to persuade him again.
Ji Shuo uttered a dissatisfied syllable, "Yes." Then he waved to the two of them impatiently.
"I excuse myself."
Young Master Jie and Ju Sheng had no choice but to retreat out of the palace...
Wait until the footsteps outside the hall fade away. Ji Shuo stood up suddenly and angrily threw the silk in his hand to the ground.
"The doctor would like to speak cautiously. I am a little angry, but the king still needs to rest." The eunuch beside him quickly comforted him.
Ji Shuo glanced at the other party dissatisfied, and then said to the guards outside the palace: "Hurry up and tell the prince and his son to enter the palace. Immediately!"
"Here!"
... Ji Hui's Prince's Mansion is located in the North Palace of the Royal City, so he first went to the West Palace where King Yan lived to have an audience.
As soon as he walked into the outer hall door, he heard his father's nagging voice. "What can we do, what can we do..."
"Your Majesty, the prince has been summoned." The eunuch standing by reminded.
Ji Shuo suddenly turned around.
"My son, please pay homage to your father." Ji Hui walked around the two screens in front of him and bowed to his superior.
Ji Shuo sat down and gasped: "The prime minister just entered the palace and told me that Yan cannot go to war with Qin."
Ji Hui asked in confusion: "Why did Xiangbang change his mind?"
"Take a look." Ji Shuo asked the eunuch to hand the silk silk brought by Ju Sheng to Ji Hui.
"The State of Qi does not want to conspire with the three Jins, and now the State of Qi has sent spies to spy on the border of our State of Yan. The Prime Minister said that he is afraid that the State of Qi will take advantage of the situation and rob it with ulterior motives."
Yan and Qi are old enemies.
In the past, Su Qin, the king of Wu'an, first proposed the plan of uniting the six kingdoms to attack Qin. It was because of the death of Yan's ancestor Wen Gong that Qi took advantage of the situation and robbed ten cities of Yan. This led to the disunity of the six kingdoms and the collapse of the alliance for the first time.
Hearing his father's words, Ji Hui was stunned. If Qi doesn't do it, how can Yan fight? Attack Qin with the front foot, but be stolen by the Qi army with the back foot?
If it weren't for Gongsun Yan's repeated assurances that he could persuade the King of Qi to jointly attack Qin, the Yan State would not have easily stamped the Yan State's seal on the alliance book.
Just as the father and son were struggling with this matter, the son of the political minister who was summoned arrived late.
After listening to Ji Hui's narration of the whole story, Zizhi immediately spoke out to comfort him: "Your Majesty, according to my speculation, Qi will not attack Yan."
"Why did you say this?" Ji Shuo said.
"Your Majesty, look here." Zi Zhi moved to Kanyu Tu: "The State of Qi first fought against Qin, and then fought with Zhao because Zhongshan became king. Several cities in the south were taken away by the State of Song. Today, the new king of Qi State, Chu, has succeeded The government is unstable. Moreover, it is an alliance of five countries. If Qi really dares to attack Yan, the five countries can also divert their troops and attack Qi immediately! According to my opinion, the reason why Qi is so aggressive now is just to prevent the five countries from attacking Qi. But when Qi really sees that the five countries are attacking Qin, it will just sit back and reap the benefits."
Prince Ji Hui nodded. He had always been consistent with his political views.
King Yan Ji Shuo hesitated for a while and said: "What is the basis for your words?"
"I don't understand what the king means..." Zi said.
Ji Shuo stood up and said leisurely: "The Yan State is weak and cannot withstand a fight, let alone a defeat. If it is unfavorable to join forces to attack Qin, our Yan State may be in catastrophe."
Last year, the prime ministers of the five kingdoms attacked Qin, but Yan only made a show of force and did not send any troops. Ji Shuo originally thought that the Three Jin Dynasties would be defeated by Qin's fierce attack. Unexpectedly, Zhao Wangyong suddenly appeared on the way. He came to the northern Xinjiang and defeated Lou Fan and Lin Hu's army, which was known as an army of 50,000, in just two months. Then he moved thousands of miles to fight in Jinyang. Together with Wei and Han, they once again defeated the 50,000 warriors of the Qin army and lost their armor. There are still many captured Qin soldiers stationed on the border between Yan and Zhao.
Last year, when they joined forces to attack Qin, Yan broke the agreement and did not send troops. After the Battle of Jinyang, Ji Shuo has always been worried about this.
For half a year, he had been paying close attention to the movements of Zhao State, fearing that the three Jin Dynasties would come to settle accounts with him and send troops to attack Jidu.
Fortunately, the Qin State once again stirred up trouble and solved Ji Shuo's 'heart knot'. When Gongsun Yan came to the Yan State again to carry out the conspiracy of alliance, and heard that Zhao and Qi were also within the scope of the alliance, Ji Shuo immediately expressed that he no longer hesitated and sent troops to attack Qin.
But now, due to the changes in Qi State, Ji Shuo couldn't help but hesitate again.
"Your Majesty, our country, Yan, has signed a joint covenant. If we repeat it at this time, I am afraid that we will not be able to please Qin, but will offend the three Jins!" Zizhi said in a faint tone.
"Hey, you are putting me on top of a boiling cauldron..." Ji Shuo sighed.
"Have you ever thought, Your Majesty, that Qin and Qi will be more panicked than Yan at this time. As far as I know, all the merchants in Xianyang have withdrawn from Qin. As long as our five-nation army is stationed in Hangu, Qin will be the general If we don't fight, we will collapse. By then, all the fertile land of Qin will be in the hands of the five kingdoms." Zi Zhi said again.
Ji Shuo's eyes lit up.
But then he worried: "Last year, our Yan State lost hundreds of thousands of stones in the battle with Donghu and Shanrong. If we send the army to Hangu at this time, the baggage can only last for half a year at most."
"Your Majesty, Wei and Zhao have agreed to borrow food, and South Korea has also promised to provide our army with light bows and powerful crossbows. Your Majesty, Yan is not afraid!" Zi Zhidao said.
"This..." Ji Shuo hesitated.
Prince Ji Hui suddenly stood up and said: "Father, I think there is a reason for what the son said. And although Gongsun Yan has acted in harmony, the Chu State has not yet spoken, and it will not be too late for the King of Chu to express his attitude."
Ji Shuo glanced at his son, gritted his teeth and said, "If the Chu State keeps the treaty, then gather our troops and attack Qin!"
"I must obey the king's orders!" Zi Zhi bowed deeply and said.
... As soon as he walked out of the gorgeous and warm palace, a sharp cold wind blew against his exposed cheeks like an ice knife. Zizhi couldn't help shivering and hurriedly tightened the tight cotton robe.
"Doctor, please go slowly. The servant will be sent here." The eunuch of King Yan bowed politely to the powerful minister in front of him.
Zi Zhi turned around and bowed respectfully to the other party.
Then he took the warm hat belt handed to him by the palace maid and walked quickly towards the outside of the palace wall.
Jidu City seemed a little lonely at night, and all the luxurious and magnificent palaces in the past were buried in darkness. Fine snowflakes were still floating in the sky at this time, and the cold wind made his face feel burning and painful.
The waiter of the mansion was already driving a carriage waiting on the straight road outside the palace gate.
Zi Zhi couldn't help but quicken the pace.
Stepping into the warm car again, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.
When the carriage drove into Fangshi, Zizhi told the guard driving: "Go immediately to invite Su Zi and Dr. Xingli to come to the government to discuss matters."
"Here!"
…
…
Compared with the cold early spring in Jidu in the north, Yingdu (Jingzhou) in the south of Chu may be able to highlight the colorful spring scenery at this time.
Yingdu, the cultural and political center of Chu State. It has been more than three hundred years since King Wen of Chu Xiong Yu moved the capital from Danyang to this place.
For hundreds of years, the scale of Yingdu, just like the size of Chu State, continued to grow.
So far, there are 50,000 residents in it.
In the early spring of March, the milky white orange flowers are gently spreading their alluring figure in the flower bag, waiting to be released shyly. On the other hand, the pink peach blossom beside me has already begun to stretch its enchanting figure.
If we were to say what the most common plants are in Yingdu City, they must be orange trees and peach trees. It is said that the contemporary King of Chu loved eating oranges and admiring flowers. Every midsummer, the Chu palace would organize a feast of oranges for the civil and military officials.
...Although this was not the first time Zhang Yi came to Yingdu, it happened to be this beautiful season, and the blooming flowers on the roadside still made him feel comfortable in his heart, and even the resentment he felt in recent days was gone. empty.
Compared with this place, Xianyang can really be called a bitter and cold place.
Visiting his hometown again, Zhang Yi couldn't help but feel a little emotional.
Counting the time, he had not been to Yingdu for nearly ten years.
"Go home." Zhang Yi said to the waiter outside the car.
"Here."
The home Zhang Yi refers to is his home in Yingdu.
Zhang Yi's current wife is a Chu girl, a commoner's daughter whom he adopted when he lived in Chu in his early years.
Looking at the unchanged street outside the carriage, Zhang Yi's mind couldn't help but recall the past events of the past.
When Wei Die passed away, he left Daliang, and then followed the scholars to lobby and argue all the way to the state of Chu.
At that time, the Chu State was experiencing the new succession of King Wei of Chu, and the powerful minister Zhao Yang was appointed as the new Ling Yin of the Chu State. Zhang Yi, who was just starting out, was fortunate enough to be admitted to the Ling Yin Mansion.
But the good times didn't last long. During a banquet, Zhaoyang lost a priceless jade, and Zhang Yi was falsely accused of being a jade thief. Then he was whipped and thrown out of Lingyin's government office.
When he was down and out, he met his current wife.
... After living in the Chu State for two years, he went to join his senior brother in the Zhao State because his ways were not in line with the national policy of the Chu State.
Perhaps recalling his deceased lover, Zhang Yi couldn't help but feel sad.
When he returned to the Chu Kingdom, he was no longer the down-and-out scholar who was whipped by others, but the powerful Prime Minister of Qin.
…
…
'The Empress is a beautiful tree, and the oranges are blooming.
He was ordered not to move, and was born in the southern country. '
In the luxurious and gorgeous Chu Palace, a group of graceful young musicians sang in the center of the hall, singing slowly a cappella to the musicians, twisting their alluring figures in step with the rhythm. Although the women were all wearing large, body-covering robes, they still seemed unable to block the charm emanating from their bodies.
'It's hard to move when it's too deep... Geng Yi Zhixi' When the musician sang the word 'shift', the singers stopped dancing and leaned back to maintain a graceful and tentative posture. When the word 'geng' came up again, the singers Once again, she gently stepped up her feet under her skirt and swayed the sleeves of her robe step by step.
"The green leaves and the green leaves are so beautiful..." What the musician sang was clearly a lyrical song of Chu, and the dancing steps of the musician were also the most elegant Chu dance in Chu. But the monarchs and ministers in the hall looked as if they were in a dream.
Especially the beauty in purple robes among the music girls made everyone unable to stop.
But for such a beauty, most people in the audience only dared to glance at it briefly, and their eyes wandered to the other women.
Without him, this beauty is the King of Chu's woman, Zheng Xiu.
However, there was still one person in the audience, staring intently at the graceful dancing posture of the beauty in purple.
Judging from this man's face, he was only in his early twenties, which was in sharp contrast to the gray-haired Ling Yin Zhaoyang next to him.
Look at her long hair, which is tied up with a tall crown. Her facial features are as sharp and angular as a knife, and her face is as fair and handsome as a woman's. But from the thin beard on his lips, he could tell that he was a man.
"It's as good as Boyi's, but it's like Xi's..." The musician's speech speed gradually increased, but the steps of the musicians were not messy. "The queen is a beautiful tree, and the oranges are everywhere. She will not leave after being ordered to do so. She will be born in the southern country... and she will be born in the southern country..."
As the musicians finished singing a cappella, the steps of the musicians also stopped.
"Hahahahaha..." The leader of the group, King Chu Xiong Huai, suddenly laughed and walked off the platform.
He turned to the young man who had been staring at Zheng Xiu just now and said, "Zuo Tu!"
"I'm here." The young man stood up quickly, stepped forward and bowed to Xiong Huai'ao.
"Today, the princess has arranged your poems and poems into songs and dances. Ai Qing is really talented. I like this orange song very much." Xiong Huai praised frankly in front of all the ministers.
"My lord, I don't deserve the king's praise." The young man bowed humbly.
At this time, Zheng Xiu took two steps forward and stood beside Xiong Huai. He looked at the handsome young man in front of him with his beautiful eyes and said softly: "Qu Yuan's poems and poems are famous all over the world and are admired by other countries. It is lucky for the Chu country to have Qu Yuan."
Qu Yuan straightened up, bowed his head to Zheng Xiu and said, "Thank you, Princess, for your compliment. However, I undoubtedly amaze the world with my words and poems. I only hope that the Chu State can be strong and prosperous and stand proudly among other countries."
Zheng Xiu's red lips parted slightly and said, "Can you tell me your strategy for strengthening the country?"
Qu Yuan looked at King Chu on one side, as if seeking his opinion.
Xiong Huai nodded: "I love you, it doesn't matter if you say so."
Qu Yuan said firmly: "I believe that if Chu is strong, it should follow the example of Qin, Wei, and Zhao and encourage reforms!"
As soon as Qu Yuan said this, all the other ministers in the palace were shocked.
Only King Xiong Huai of Chu looked at him with admiration.
