"From today onwards, I am Zuo Shu Zhang."
"It's time to go to court."
The day after Zhao Tuo returned to Xianyang, he went to the Lieutenant Lord's Mansion to receive his title reward.
As he walked out, he looked at Mo Yugui, who was about one foot long and three feet wide, and sighed in his heart.
The three-foot jade gui was warm and cold, with several small Qin seal characters on it, engraved with the title of Zuo Shuchang.
The so-called chief of the common people refers to the leader of the common people and the chief of the common people in Guizhou.
Different from the title of a doctor, the status of Zuo Shuchang is already equivalent to that of a minister in the Spring and Autumn Period. He is a true high-ranking person. Only those who have reached this title can be qualified to hold the title. This is what people at the time called "name and instrument ear" .
Moreover, Zuo Shuchang, as the position held by Shang Yang after he entered the Qin Dynasty, is often given a special meaning, which is difficult to obtain without great merit. Many generals who came from common people in Guizhou will not be able to reach this title in their lifetime.
Zhao Tuo is only fifteen or sixteen years old now, but he already has such a noble title. This is extremely rare in the entire history of Qin State, and it can even be said to be non-existent.
Because unlike that child prodigy Gan Luo whose grandfather was Zuo Prime Minister Gan Mao.
Zhao Tuo's title was obtained by his own fighting on the battlefield, and there was no water in it. Even Li You and Huan Zhao, who had always hated him, had nothing to say about it.
So when Zhao Tuo received his title and walked out of the Lord Lieutenant's Mansion, everyone he passed by saluted him respectfully and looked at the particularly young Zuo Shuchang with both fear and curiosity.
"This is the title of Zuo Shuchang. I heard that Zuo Shuchang is not yet seventeen years old. If he waits until he is crowned and reaches adulthood, wouldn't he be able to become a marquis and become a prime minister?"
"Hey, haven't you heard? This Zuo Shuchang once said in front of the king, 'A real man should be a prince when he is born, and he will be the food of the temple when he dies.'"
"Hiss... such a loud tone!"
"I don't know which lady can marry him, but it's a pity that I'm not a woman, alas..."
Zhao Tuo couldn't help but smile bitterly as he listened to the minor officials from the Lord Lieutenant's Mansion behind him talking about him.
Didn't I only say this to Brother Zheng?
Why now not only the princes, princes and ministers in the court know about it, but also all the minor officials in the government.
What big mouth is spreading this nonsense?
Zhao Tuo was very angry. Such big words spread throughout Xianyang. If Zhao Tuo was not granted the title of marquis in the future, wouldn't he be slapped in the face?
Just as Zhao Tuo shook his head and smiled bitterly, crossed the door, and was about to get on his carriage and go back home, suddenly a man waiting at the door came up.
He bowed to Zhao Tuo and said, "This little man, Wang Ao, has met the Chief Zuo, and my husband also asked the Chief Zuo to come over and talk to me."
Zhao Tuo raised his eyebrows and did not answer immediately.
Although today is only the second day since Zhao Tuo was recalled to Xianyang, he has already received many invitations.
Those Gongqing clans living in Xianyang were extremely well-informed. When they knew that Zhao Tuo had been summoned back by the king, they immediately sent people overnight to invite them. Among them were several large families from the Qin State, such as the Gan family, the Du family, the Meng family... and even... There is the famous Chang Wenjun.
Regarding Chang Wenjun's invitation, Zhao Tuo politely declined it, citing the inconvenience.
Just kidding, before the war against Chu began, Zhao Tuo would break into a cold sweat just thinking about it.
At this juncture, Zhao Tuo didn't want to deal with Chang Wenjun, even if he offended him, it didn't matter.
Anyway, after Li Xin's attack on Chu, the Chu forces in Qin were bound to suffer a major blow, and Lord Chang Wen might not be able to protect himself by then.
As for the thoughts of those wealthy families, Zhao Tuo also knew very well. They just thought that he was favored by the king and had meritorious service. He became the chief of Zuo Shu at a young age and would surely prosper in the future.
For such a young man with a bright future, these wealthy families with declining power will naturally come to curry favor with him, send him some gifts and say good things to Zhao Tuo. It would be even better if they can marry each other again, and they can use Zhao Tuo's help. Tu's east wind restored its former glory.
In this regard, Zhao Tuo had everyone in the government reject them. He did not want to be associated with those Qin families with impure intentions, and he did not accept any gifts from them.
"Who is your husband?"
Thinking of this, Zhao Tuo asked casually, preparing to find an excuse to refuse.
The man replied: "My husband is the current state captain."
"Weigong?"
Zhao Tuo was stunned for a moment, then said with a smile: "Since it is Duke Wei who invites me, Zhao Tuo should definitely pay him a visit."
Wei Liao is different from Chang Wenjun and those declining wealthy clans.
He is currently the highest military officer of the Qin State, Bang Wei. He is in charge of the military affairs of the country. He is deeply trusted by the Qin king and is an absolutely powerful figure. Moreover, he was also a master of military art at that time. His book "Wei Liao Zi" was used in the Qin army's organization and military law, and had a great influence on the entire Qin State.
Before Zhao Tuo attacked Wei, he wanted to visit Wei Liao and seek some advice, but it just happened that at that time, King Qin was issuing an edict to mobilize troops to attack Wei. The mansion of the state official was very busy counting soldiers and transporting grain and fodder. Wei Liao couldn't spare the time, so Zhao Tuo could only go to Wang Jian instead. Unexpectedly, when he returned now, Wei Liao would take the initiative to invite him into the mansion for a chat.
Zhao Tuo asked the people from the Wei Mansion to go back first. He turned around and returned to his own home. While bathing and changing clothes, he asked his servants to buy a snow-white and docile lamb for him.
Only then did Zhao Tuo get into the carriage with the little lamb in his arms and arrive at Wei Liao's mansion.
The gate of Wei Mansion opened, and Zhao Tuo walked in holding the little lamb.
This is the etiquette of visiting.
Zhou Li said that "the ministers hold the lambs, the officials hold the geese, the scholars hold the pheasants, the common people hold the swans, and the businessmen hold the chickens."
Zhao Tuo had previously visited the Changping Lord's Mansion as a public vehicle. The public vehicle belonged to the rank of doctor, so he could only visit with the wild geese in his arms.
Now that Zhao Tuo has been promoted to the title of Chief Zuo, he can no longer use the wild goose. He must hold the lamb. Only in this way can he be polite. If he carries the wild goose again, he will definitely be laughed at and downgraded.
This is also an external manifestation of the change in Zhao Tuo's status after he was granted the title of Zuo Shu Chang.
When Zhao Tuo entered Wei's mansion and saw Wei Liao again, he was shocked.
Wei Liao is only about seven feet tall, a bit shorter than the teenage Zhao Tuo, with white beard and white hair, and many wrinkles on his face. But every time Zhao Tuo saw him, he felt that Wei Liao was in very good spirits. His words were full of energy, his eyes were bright, and his energy was not inferior to that of the young people.
But now, the Qin State Lieutenant was sitting on his knees on the couch, looking a little sluggish and tired. When he saw Zhao Tuo coming in, he just nodded slightly.
"Weigong?"
"sit."
Wei Liao stretched out his hand and pointed at the case.
Zhao Tuo saluted and took the seat, and asked respectfully: "I just returned to Xianyang. I should have taken the initiative to visit Duke Wei, but today I was invited by an elder. I am very frightened."
Wei Liao smiled faintly, stroking the white beard under his chin and said, "Don't say such empty words in front of me. Do you know why I'm looking for trouble this time?"
Zhao Tuo pondered for a moment and said, "Could it be that Wei Gong wants to ask about the boy's affairs in Wei?"
Wei Liao smiled.
"The Kingdom of Wei has been destroyed, and its king has been imprisoned in Xianyang. What's the point of talking about it. The reason why I'm looking for you is for the upcoming war."
"Fachu?"
Zhao Tuo was refreshed and sat upright.
"The king summoned you back to Xianyang and asked you to enter the palace. I think he will ask you for your opinion on the battle against Chu." Wei Liao said lightly.
Zhao Tuo was startled and looked at the white-haired old man in front of him. Sure enough, Jiang was still very old, and he guessed it right.
He nodded, but did not go on. The matter of the king's inquiry was a secret. No matter who it was, he could not tell it at will without the permission of Qin Wangzheng.
Wei Liao did not ask what Zhao Tuo said at that time, but changed the topic and asked another sharp question: "I think your actions in Wei are in line with the art of war. After thinking about it, I understand what Sun Tzu said: The first is measuring, the second is measuring, the third is counting, the fourth is weighing, and the fifth is winning.”
Zhao Tuo nodded. This sentence actually refers to the use of troops to fight. It involves estimating the area of land, calculating the quantity of products, counting the number of soldiers, comparing the military strength of both sides, and finally making a judgment on victory or defeat.
It is not only used for decision-making on the battlefield, but also for temple calculations before the war.
Wei Liao continued: "Jingchu is a big country in the world. Its land is vast, five thousand miles in area, rich in products, and connected to everything. Its population can number hundreds of thousands of armored men, and it has always been the leader of the princes. This way Qin may be able to destroy a large country, but it must go all out. Now with only 200,000 soldiers, do you, Zhao Tuo, think it is feasible?"
Without waiting for Zhao Tuo to answer, Wei Liao said to himself: "The commander-in-chief of the army should be strong and soft, and be both civil and military. However, when ordinary people talk about generals, they often think of bravery, and the courage of generals is only a fraction of the number. Husband. A brave man must combine lightly, but it is not okay to combine lightly without knowing the benefits. So, is Li Xin a general who is both strong and soft, both civil and military, or is he a general who is brave but combines lightly?"
Zhao Tuo's eyelids twitched. He already understood what Wei Liao wanted to say and whispered: "What Duke Wei said is that he thinks that this time the king is attacking Chu..."
"It's hard to win! This time our Qin country may even be defeated!"
Although Wei Liao's voice was soft, the meaning behind his words shocked Zhao Tuo.
Sure enough, the great Qin State is not without its sober people.
At the beginning, Zhao Tuo took the initiative to ask Wang Jian whether the attack on Chu would be a victory or a defeat, but Wang Jian was cunning and only said that if he attacked Chu, he would need 600,000 men. Wang Jian did not comment on whether Li Xin would lose or win the battle. .
So until today, only Wei Liao in front of him could speak it outright in front of Zhao Tuo.
Li Xin's attack on Chu may fail!
(End of chapter)
