Brother, I'm having a good rest. I can just go out with the team today! "
Chen Baizhong comforted his eldest brother Chen Baifa who was lying in the tent recovering from his injuries. This was all he could do now. If the servants of Nayi Feng Wang Zhu Gonglu hadn't openly fought for the black bear that his eldest brother had hunted the day before yesterday, his eldest brother wouldn't have ended up like this.
Chen Baifa was hit by an arrow in the leg. Although his companions sent him to a tent on the beach for treatment in time, the arrow was pulled out, and herbs were applied on him, he was unable to recover in a short time and was able to move around like a healthy person.
For the time being, she can only be taken care of by her younger sister Chen Bailing and her brother-in-law Liu Damao, who is a blacksmith. The three of them lost their parents early in life and had to rely on each other to make ends meet, relying on their eldest brother to earn money from hunting.
Due to the severe drought in the Central Plains, even the birds and animals in the mountains became increasingly scarce, and they could only live hand to mouth. Fortunately, King Zhu Suxi of Runing recruited servants, and he came here.
On the day he landed, Chen Baifa shot a black bear to death with an arrow. He was about to let his companions carry it back to receive the reward. Unexpectedly, King Yi Feng's servants pounced on him, claiming that they had hunted the black bear.
The two sides couldn't argue, and a conflict broke out. Then the Rakshasa people attacked. Both sides had to obey the orders of Zhou Tong, the general of King Ya of Zhou, so the matter was temporarily suppressed.
Unexpectedly, the servants of King Yi Feng thought that the servants of King Runing were easy to bully, so they started to get more aggressive in fighting for the Rakshasa people who were shot.
No matter how good-tempered Chen Baifa was, he couldn't bear it anymore and started to fight back angrily. As a result, he was shot in the thigh by a cold arrow.
One of King Yi Feng's servants was shot to death and five others were wounded. Two people on King Runing's side were killed and four were injured.
Although the King of Zhou also tried to persuade him after hearing the news, the two sides had already formed a dispute before, and neither of them would let it go.
"We are already the prince's servants, we cannot act recklessly!"
Chen Baifa still tried to persuade his unstable brother with earnest words. Now that he was injured and became half-disabled, the whole family was counting on him and his brother-in-law Liu Damao to take care of things. There was no mistake.
"Brother, don't worry. My little sister is taking good care of you. I'll come back as soon as I go!"
Chen Baizhong thinks that his experience is not as good as his elder brother, but his archery skills are not inferior to him. As long as there are wild beasts in the mountains, it is not too difficult to hunt one. At least he can earn some meat and fresh fish for nourishment.
If you still encounter the bastards under King Yi Feng, if they don't come, if you dare to take a step closer, then don't blame the bow and arrow in your hand for being rude, and you will kill the beasts and people together!
Since the hunting team needs to search nearly 20 to 30 miles inland, they have to set off before Chenshi (7 a.m.), and the meal they eat is also fresh fish caught in the past two days.
The temperature here is low, so even if it is not treated with salt, it will not rot easily and can be stored for a long time. But for servants like them, as long as it is meat, it can be wiped out completely on the same day, leaving nothing behind.
Before setting off, everyone can get a piece of cake and fill their water bags with water, so that they have lunch and can get back before dark.
It doesn't matter if you get lost in the forest. Every hunter carries a firework with him, which can be lit by nearby companions to facilitate positioning and rescue.
The king of Zhou had just sealed the throne, and the capital of Zhou was still under construction. Therefore, in order for everyone to eat and work, in addition to fishing, they had to rely on hunting, and a lot of hunters were sent.
According to the regulations of the King of Zhou, each county must provide at least ten people for hunting, ten people for fishing, and ten people for logging, and the remaining people can build houses in their own county.
Zhou Wang Zhu Gongzhen did not force the request, he just announced the rules, which means that the king will not ask for fish and meat from the prince, but the prince should not expect the vassal king to give charity.
When they came to the new fiefdom, no matter whether they were vassal kings or county princes, they all had to be self-reliant. If they didn't work, they would have to live in vain. The next time Zheng's fleet arrived in Zhou Kingdom, I don't know when it would be.
The county prince was not as prominent as the feudal king, and when he came to the new fiefdom, his power was naturally not as great as that of the feudal king, but his financial resources were not inferior to those of some wealthy gentry and merchants. At least the prince did not confiscate their property.
The King of Runing, Zhu Suxi, was a powerful prince among the Zhou kings. Before leaving his homeland, he recruited hundreds of talented servants.
"That bastard Zhu Gongchang! Do you really think this king is afraid of him?"
Zhu Suxi, who had suffered two losses in a row, was sitting in his tent drinking wine. He was surrounded by his confidant military advisor Yu Hegui and his family general Li Zaixing.
It's just that I didn't get a good black bear. The servants under Zhu Gongchang still dared to bully their own servants. I was really tired of life.
"Your Majesty, please calm down and don't let this cause any damage to your dignity. Nowadays, all kings are carrying out large-scale construction projects. Your Majesty, you must be careful not to rush and be patient. This matter must be considered in the long run!"
Yu Hegui hurriedly advised him not to go to war with King Yi Feng at this time.
"I can't bear it anymore! Now that the commotion has been made, other princes have already learned about it. If I continue to endure it, won't Zhu Gongli be riding on my head to show respect? How can I save my face?"
When Zhu Suxi thought of this, he became angry. He clenched his fist and hit the table hard, knocking over the two side dishes placed on it.
In addition to Zhou Wang Zhu Gongzhen and his eldest son Zhu Shaojiong, the most powerful person in the huge Zhou royal family is himself, the king of Runing.
Strength is financial power, and financial power can evolve into military power and combat power!
Now that I have been bullied by that old fool Zhu Gongchang, how can I bear it?
If he really endured it, wouldn't he become a big joke to the entire Zhou Kingdom?
In total, there are nearly a hundred combat-ready soldiers under his command.
If he can win over a few more princes who have a good relationship with him, he will definitely be able to get twice the result with half the effort.
"Your Majesty, our country is not adjacent to the Yi Feng Kingdom. They are even separated by two counties. If we raise troops to attack, I'm afraid..."
Yu Hegui first wanted to clarify the stakes, and secretly rejoiced in his heart. If the two didn't live next to each other, they would have fought each other long ago.
"What if I'm afraid? Back then, the Jin State could use false methods to destroy Guo, why can't our country do the same?"
Zhu Suxi really wanted to slap Zhu Gongzhu to death to make him so arrogant and indulging his servants. Even if he thought about the clan's affection, he would have to teach him a lesson.
"Your Majesty, our country is not on a stable footing now. If we start a big war first, I am afraid that our national strength will be inferior to other counties in the future. If the mantis stalks the cicada, the oriole will follow..."
Yu Hegui's nature is not as valuing peace as his name suggests. He just considers the overall situation and asks his master not to act on impulse. As long as he develops with peace of mind, the national power of the two countries will become even more disparate in the future, and it will not be too late to take revenge.
"Hmph~! I don't want to have my own way, let alone for that bear skin. But if I do this, it will chill the hearts of my servants. Isn't it that I have abandoned my righteousness? How can I order everyone in the future?"
Zhu Suxi would not admit that he started a war just for the sake of face, not to mention that he was telling the truth. His subordinates were bullied twice, and the other party was still the same group. This does not mean that it cannot be justified.
"Your Majesty, it's not like this. In the name of a banquet, the prince invites several princes who have a good relationship with the prince to come to the banquet and test their attitudes. If the princes attending the banquet are willing to send troops, even if there are only ten from each country, The remaining people, and the people and horses from several counties combined can be as many as fifty or sixty. In this way, plus the prince's troops, King Yi Feng can take the initiative to seek peace!"
Yu Hegui's intention was to first see if he could attract some allies and ask them to send some troops, so that he could take advantage of the force and ultimately achieve the goal of defeating others without fighting.
When landing in the "Northland", we must naturally put development first. It would be great if we can use weapons. If it is not possible, it is not too late to fight. Anyway, the strength of Runing country is not strong, and there are hundreds of soldiers that can fight. Self-preservation is relatively easy.
"...Well! That's fine, I'll do it as you wish! I can invite King Suiping, King Neixiang, King Yingchuan, and King Haiyang to the banquet!"
These four county princes usually have a good relationship with Zhu Suxi. If they are in trouble, they can talk to them.
Take this opportunity to see if they are sincere in their relationship or if they are pretending to be in love.
"Zaixing!"
"The general is here!"
"Raise an army for a thousand days and use it for a while. Then I will see what you are capable of!"
"The general will do his best to repay the favor of the prince!"
"That's good!"
Li Zaixing was a Qianzong before, but he was just a small leader under the guard of Runing. Runing was a military town, and the guard was naturally a general at the level of deputy general. He would not come to this inaccessible place with Zhu Suxi to join the vassal.
But Li Zaixing, who was the president of Qian, was different. In order to be able to get ahead, he agreed to King Runing. Since his subordinates could live on free wages, his superiors made a favor without offending King Runing.
The vassal king was not allowed to raise troops in his own country, otherwise he would be regarded as treason by the court. The closest relationship to the prince was the vassal of Jin Yiwei, and the generals and some servants with special skills were temporarily recruited at a high price.
Even though Zhu Suyi was well-dressed and well-fed, he would not have high expectations for this group of subordinates. Fortunately, the subordinates of King Yi Feng Zhu Gongchun are also a mob. If the quality is not good, then they will compete with quantity. Fortunately, there are more people on their side...
If he had known this, he should have recruited more troops before leaving the country, otherwise he would have allowed that old fool Zhu Gongchang to show off his power in front of him?
Zhu Suxi was so cruel to his fellow clansman that he just refused to apologize. He also deliberately refused to return the stolen bearskin, which was clearly arrogant.
Even if I can't chop him with a knife, I will freeze him to death this winter!
Can you survive the cold if you have a bearskin to keep you warm?
Should we still set a fire?
Since King Zhou has made it clear that he is unwilling to deal with this matter, he can let it go.
We usually keep our peace, but now you can't use your chopsticks to take away the meat from my mouth!
Ming robbed a bear and killed and injured six people!
This festival cannot be passed by just talking about it.
The most important thing is that Zhu Gongzhu has no intention of apologizing at all. He is a typical unreasonable and arrogant person!
The four princes who received the invitation were naturally not fools, and they knew King Runing's intention in inviting them.
However, this was not a Hongmen Banquet, and they were not the ones they had to deal with, so they settled down to enjoy the feast.
In the huge Zhou Kingdom, King Runing's strength is second only to King Zhou, so he still has to give him face.
However, none of the four princes responded to King Runing's request to send troops.
Did they start fighting with each other as soon as they arrived in the Northland?
This is a bit...
But King Runing insisted on saving face, so he would definitely send troops to attack King Yi Feng.
If you don't send troops, you will offend King Runing invisibly, and everyone will have to look up but not look down.
Taking this into consideration, the four princes discussed it and then reluctantly agreed to the proposal of asking them to send troops.
The soldiers and horses each family brought out were not many, only twenty, and they were all infantry, not horse pawns.
There are eighty people in total, standing and cheering is enough. If there is a fight, it will be two.
This time it was King Runing who asked for revenge, and they were just helping him out of face.
With this favor, it means that the five families are advancing together and retreating together, so they can take care of each other in the future.
There were many counties under the Great Zhou Dynasty, and a single and isolated prince would not survive for a long time.
Either they have to get closer to King Zhou, or they have to help each other like they are now.
Thinking of this relationship, the other four princes agreed to send troops. Otherwise, even if they declined, King Runing would not do anything to it.
In view of this, King Zhu Suxi of Runing struck while the iron was hot and proposed that the five countries form an alliance to facilitate protection and avoid being bullied by neighboring countries.
After careful consideration, Zhu Zaizhen, King of Haiyang, Zhu Zaicheng, King of Yingchuan, Zhu Zaijiao, King of Neixiang, and Zhu Shaokun, King of Suiping, agreed.
After all, it is better to prepare for a rainy day than to make up for it before it is too late. Although King Runing is powerful, he will not annex them in a short period of time. At most, he can only be an alliance leader.
And with King Runing as an ally, at least if other princes know about it, they will also use rat weapons to prevent them from attacking him brazenly.
In addition to King Zhou, even if other princes have begun to form alliances, they can't find any prince who is more powerful than King Runing. In comparison, he still has some benefits.
When you come to the "Northland", you have to rely on your ability. No one will make substantial concessions again and again just because everyone is from the same clan.
It is only a matter of time before a conflict like the one between King Runing and King Yi Feng breaks out, so it is better to form an alliance early than to form an alliance late. One more ally will give you more strength.
What's more, even a powerful prince like King Runing hopes to form an alliance with other princes. If the princes who are not as powerful as King Runing want to fight alone, they will be seeking death.
This is exactly the same as the world situation during the Warring States Period. The Qin State was the well-deserved boss. To the east of Hangu Pass, the Wei State rose first. If the Wei State could become the overlord for a while, then other weak countries would be able to ally with it first.
How long King Runing will be able to maintain his prestige, the other four princes cannot say. But one thing is, as long as King Runing remains undefeated, his strength will not be weakened too much.
If King Runing is defeated, it can only mean that King Yifeng has also found alliances with other princes, and there are more allies. Either the King of Zhou couldn't stand it anymore and directly sent troops to intervene.
At the moment, King Zhou chose to keep things quiet and was busy sending people to build his capital. For a while, he could not take care of the affairs of many counties.
So whether he wins or loses depends on whether King Yi Feng can find allies or backers.
If he couldn't find it, King Yi Feng would definitely be defeated in the face of a joint attack by the five families.
The four princes did not want to use force directly, but now many princes have military power in their hands.
Either get hit, or hit someone, there are only two options.
They didn't know why King Yi Feng took the initiative to provoke King Runing. Could it be that he was really old and confused?
Even if you want to openly demonstrate your authority, you shouldn't hit your head against a rock, right?
How big a rock is King Runing? Your brain is not working well, and your eyes are not working well?
