Feng County.
Dai Wu, the magistrate of Feng County, is in his forties, has a square face and short beard, and is dressed in brocade clothes. He sat in front of the food table, looking at the pile of delicacies on the table, and it was hard to swallow for a while.
"Yu'er, the Qin army has arrived. If they attack the city directly and don't send people to recruit them, what should I do?"
Dai Wu looked at the young man sitting in front of the case on the other side and asked, his words revealing hesitation.
Dai Yu is in his twenties, with a handsome face and dark eyebrows, but the eyes under his eyebrows are slightly narrow and long, giving him a sinister air.
After hearing the question, Dai Yu put down the elephant chopsticks in his hand.
He smiled and said: "Father, why should you worry? I have found out clearly that this Qin army only has five thousand soldiers. We have already recruited a thousand soldiers in the city, and now we have recruited two thousand Dai clan members to help defend the city. If it arrives In critical moments, one or two thousand more people can be forcibly recruited. With such a number, coupled with the city walls repaired by our ancestors for generations, even if the Qin general is very capable, he can't even think of conquering Su County with only 5,000 people."
Dai Wu looked slightly relieved, but still found it difficult to eat, and asked: "That being said, what if we can repel the Qin army's attack? There are tens of thousands of Wang Ben's troops outside Daliang City. The army is about to destroy even the huge Wei State. How can I, a small county, resist it? It is better to surrender to Qin as soon as possible."
A sharp look flashed in Dai Yu's eyes, and he said: "I never knew my father's words. It's just that this surrender must also have rules and regulations for surrender."
"If we open the city and surrender as soon as the Qin army reaches the city, we will be looked down upon by the Qin people and will never get any benefits. I heard that the Qin army went north and Xiaohuang City surrendered without a fight. Although Xiao Huangling survived Wealth, but deprived of position and power, what is the benefit of such surrender?"
"Father, we are the descendants of the Dai Kingdom in the past. Although the Dai Kingdom was destroyed, our clan has continued to thrive in this city for hundreds of years. More than half of the people in the entire city are members of my Dai clan, and even the King of Wei has to Relying on us to govern the city, I have appointed all my ancestors as magistrates of Su County. Therefore, this Su County is called a county of Wei State, but it is actually the fiefdom of my Dai family."
"With the style of those Qin people, once we surrender, we will definitely not be able to keep our position as county magistrate for generations, so we must negotiate terms with them first, and at least win enough benefits before surrendering. We cannot be like that little Huang Ling , you will get nothing after surrendering. If they don't agree, then let's have a fight first. When the Qin general understands that he can't attack Shen County by force, he will naturally agree to our terms."
A hint of unwillingness flashed in Dai Yu's eyes.
He is the eldest son of Dai Wu. If the Wei Kingdom does not fall, he will sooner or later succeed Dai Wu and become the new magistrate of Shi County. This city was originally supposed to belong to his territory, how could he give it up willingly?
A worried look appeared on Dai Wu's face, and he was about to say more when he saw a close relative coming in to report.
"County magistrate, there are envoys from the Qin army coming outside the city."
Dai Yu slapped the table and said with a smile: "The person trying to persuade you to surrender is here. We need to have a good talk."
At this moment, the Li brothers entered the county town.
Li Shang whispered: "Brother, during this trip, are you sure you can persuade him to surrender?"
"I have inquired about Dai's information before. Dai Wu is a coward. If he suppresses the country with strong troops and uses the position of county magistrate to lure him, he will definitely surrender. But his legitimate son Dai Yu is in some trouble. This person He has a strong personality and some talents. Although the county magistrate is Dai Wu, Dai Yu has a lot of say, and I am afraid he will not give in easily." Li Shiqi said calmly.
"That being the case, are you afraid that my brother's trip will be in vain?"
Li Shiqi smiled and said: "How come there is no merit? From my point of view, since this Dai allowed us to enter the city, it means that he has the intention of surrender. It's just a price. Let's go and see this Dai." I don’t know the price you’re offering.”
…
Dai's mansion.
The light and shadow in the hall are shining, even though it is daytime, it seems to show off the wealth of the family. Candlelight was already flickering on the exquisite bronze lamp stand.
Delicate-looking maids dressed in green came with drinks, and the tables were filled with fresh fruits and melons.
In the main seat, Dai Wu said nothing after a few pleasantries.
Dai Yu, who was sitting at the desk on the left, spoke loudly and asked, knowingly: "Sir, he speaks in Wei Yin, but he came under the banner of the Qin national flag. I don't know why he came here?"
Li Shiqi cupped his hands and said, "Now the Dai family is in great danger. I am here to save the lives of the Dai family, and I am also here to save your father and son."
Dai Yu pretended to laugh: "Haha, sir, what you said is extremely cliche. Throughout the ages, lobbyists have always exaggerated and pretentious, and then used words to make it sensational. But in front of my father and son, sir, I’m afraid this move is somewhat useless.”
Li Shang on the side blushed. His brother always liked to be exaggerated and frightened when he opened his mouth. Now that he was exposed on the spot, his younger brother couldn't help but feel ashamed.
However, Li Shiqi's expression remained unchanged and he said: "Why are you exaggerating and pretentious? Now the Qin army has gathered outside the city. In a blink of an eye, they will be able to break through the county and kill the whole city. And I am here to do it. In order to resolve the danger of the Dai clan being exterminated, if your father and son listen to my words, they can save their lives. Isn’t it that I am here to save the lives of your father and son?”
Dai Yu sneered and said, "Sir, do you think I don't know? There are only five thousand Qin troops outside the city. With the high walls and thick walls of our county, it is impossible for this small number of people to break through the city. What you said, sir, is just to intimidate us."
Li Shiqi also laughed: "Does Jun Dai think that Qin's army only has five thousand people? You might as well look at the tens of thousands of Baizhan troops outside Daliang City."
Before he finished speaking, Li Shiqi said loudly: "Please Jun and your son, please look west again and see the land in Guanzhong, the army of ten thousand chariots, and the millions of armored men under the command of King Qin!"
"Since the war between Qin and Wei, the Battle of Anmen, the Battle of Hexi, the Battle of Anyi, the Battle of Yique, the Battle of Huayang..."
"In all kinds of battles, how many times did the Wei army win? The Qin army's swords were stained with the blood of hundreds of thousands of Wei people. Could it be that Dai Jun and his son thought that this mere corner of Feng County could be worthy of the hundreds of thousands of Wei people? The army of the state? Can it withstand the tiger and wolf troops of the Qin state?"
"If your father and your son surrender as soon as possible, they can still save their lives and wealth. Otherwise, if they resist stubbornly, when the city is destroyed one day, I'm afraid they will end up like Huang Zhang'er!"
By the end of Li Shiqi's words, his words were stern and impassioned, and his words were full of threats.
Dai Wu's face was full of fear, his body was shaking, and he almost fell off the bed.
Dai Yu also looked pale and no longer calm as before.
He gritted his teeth and said, "If we surrender, I wonder what conditions the Qin army outside the city can offer?"
Seeing that Dai and his son were at a loss, Li Shiqi smiled lightly and didn't hide it.
"Can be the county magistrate."
…
After seeing off the Qin envoy, the figures of two people were reflected in the window of Dai's inner house.
"Yu'er, the county magistrate should be the county magistrate. We can still keep our official positions at least, and it will be much better than that little Huang Ling's fate."
Dai Wu's face turned pale, he had not yet recovered from the day's threats.
Although the words of the lobbyist named Li Shiqi were exaggerated, they were not far from the truth. In particular, Dai Wu knew the fate of Waihuang Ling Zhang Er, a famous scholar in Wei.
As long as he thought about his head being cut off and hanging everywhere, he couldn't help but be afraid.
Dai Yu looked unwilling.
County magistrate?
A mere assistant to a county magistrate.
He, Dai, has been the ruler of Shen County for generations and the real top leader in the county.
Now, a long official has to be parachuted above your head. How can you bear this?
Even a county magistrate was reluctant to take it out, so it would be too cheap to just want him to surrender.
It seems that I have to add some more chips to myself.
"Father, do you know why I asked you to agree to Li Sheng's surrender and to say that Kaicheng would surrender tomorrow?"
Dai Yu's eyes flashed coldly.
Dai Wu was stunned and said: "Didn't you say that you need one night to seal up the treasury and appease the officials, so you can choose to surrender to the Qin army tomorrow?"
Dai Yu shook his head and said coldly: "No. The Qin army despises us, so they are only willing to serve as county magistrates. So we need a victory to let the Qin military commanders outside the city know that my Dai family is Human beings are definitely not comparable to those Wei people who were defeated in a single fight."
"I want to imitate Uncle Zheng's night attack on the Allied Forces of the Three Kingdoms."
"In the name of surrendering tomorrow, the Qin army will be off guard, and then we will attack the Qin camp tonight and defeat the Qin army!"
"In this way, I can show my name as Dai. Let the people of Qin know that this County is not easy to fight. If you want us to surrender, you have to agree to my Dai's conditions!"
"In exchange for the county magistrate!"
Under the Qin system, counties with more than 10,000 households had county magistrates, and counties with less than 10,000 households had county magistrates.
Because it is difficult to find out the number of registered residents in each city, and for the sake of unification of names, all county chiefs in this article are called county magistrates.
Of course, they can also be collectively called county misfits.
(End of chapter)
