The Qin State tore up its alliance and invaded the land west of Hexi, dealing a severe blow to the Wei State that had already suffered heavy losses.
Not long after Wei's entire army was wiped out on the Korean battlefield, Wei, who was in a state of panic, suffered heavy losses again in response to Qin's attack. After being beheaded by nearly 10,000 people, Wei hurriedly escaped from Hexi.
In fact, Qin State also felt guilty. Qi State defeated Wei State, which was expected, but such a great victory was unexpected.
The State of Wei actually fell into an ambush and destroyed its army. The losses suffered by the State of Qi were far less than what the State of Qin had expected, which changed many things.
The Qin State didn't even know whether it should directly defeat the Wei State to death. If the Wei State was really completely defeated, who would be able to carry the prosperous Qi State in the future?
Qi State chased the troops of Zhao and Wei all the way to escape. South Korea was overjoyed to take back the lost territory. Zhao State retreated towards the country on the one hand, hoping to rely on the dangerous mountains and rivers to stop Qi State's footsteps. On the other hand, Zhao State hurriedly sent people to ask Qi State for help. and.
Not to mention the Wei State. As a defeated country, it would be a dream to escape unscathed. They also sued for peace with the State of Qi together with the State of Zhao, and were willing to hand over all the remaining cities of the State of Wei in the east to the State of Qi, as well as those neighboring South Korea. Some cities were also willing to be ceded to Qi.
Chu State originally wanted to wait for Qi State to weaken and take advantage, but did not expect that it would end like this and quickly defended its territory.
The State of Yan, which was undergoing reform, quickly sent envoys to congratulate the State of Qi. The little thoughts in their hearts were basically wiped out.
The current state of Qi is really too powerful, especially when its momentum is full, no one in the world can compete with it.
Suddenly, envoys from the six kingdoms of Qin, Zhao, Wei, Han, Yan and Chu came to Linzi one after another. Linzi City was already a prosperous place in the world. After so many envoys arrived, it became even more noisy.
Envoys from other countries rushed to pay tribute to the king of Qi, fearing that the Duke of Qi would feel disrespectful to him and regarded themselves as subordinates.
Although this was just an act of humility, it truly clarified Qi's status.
The monarchs and ministers of Qi State looked at the tributes presented by the six countries, among which Zhao, Wei and Han each had their own land as tributes. Such a scene had not been seen for many years.
In the Qi Palace, countless soldiers stood tall and majestic, their swords, spears, swords and halberds flashed coldly under the sun.
Rows of palace ladies walked past, carrying tributes brought by the princes from both sides of the high steps to the main hall.
Envoys from all the countries in the hall have come, and they are all people of noble status, either the prince of a country or the prime minister of the country.
The palace was very noisy. Prince Sheng of Qin State was the last one to offer a tribute, and then in front of everyone's eyes, he bowed and said: "Mr. Qi.
In the past, your ancestor, Duke Huan of Qi, was one of the nine princes who ruled the world. In the end, the emperor bestowed upon your ancestor the title of Duke, the title of Fang Bo, and the gift of Nine Tins.
Now your achievements have even surpassed those of your ancestors. The territory of Qi State is three thousand miles from south to north, and the population of Qi State is the highest among all other countries.
Foreign ministers came to Linzi City and even felt crowded when walking on the streets. All the princes in the world admired you.
The state of Wu is willing to dedicate its land to you.
Qin, Chu, Yan, Han, Zhao and Wei, these six most powerful vassal states, are willing to be your allies.
This is all because your virtue has been recognized by everyone in the world.
I have visited all the kingdoms of Xia several times, but I can't find anyone with higher virtues than you.
If anyone thinks his virtue is comparable to Qi Gong's, please come forward.
The foreign minister will use the sharp sword in his hand to test your virtue for Qi Gong, whether it can match the slightest hair of Qi Gong's. "
This series of complimentary words made Qi Gong feel a little overwhelmed. Lu Ji gave him a strong pull, and Qi Gong said humbly: "Young Master.
You praise me too much. What I did was just obeying the will of God.
I have only made some small contributions to the various kingdoms of Xia. I really don’t deserve your praise.
Among the various kingdoms of Xia, how many sages are there who are virtuous and talented?
Gu really dare not be proud. "
An admiring smile appeared on Gongzi Sheng's face, and he was about to continue to praise, leading to the event of becoming king.
Unexpectedly, Prime Minister Han interrupted him directly, stepped forward and said loudly: "Mr. Qi.
Gongzi Sheng is right, your virtue can be learned from the sun and the moon.
Before the foreign minister came to Qi, the king said to the foreign minister: "South Korea can survive because of Qi Gong's kindness. If we can't treat Qi Gong with respect, how can we convince the world?"
I don't want to be such an ungrateful monarch. '
The monarch is willing to pay homage to you with the honor of the princes named Ji. "
One prince surrenders to another prince?
Everyone immediately turned their attention to Luo Li, and saw that he had his eyes slightly closed, did not speak, and only frowned slightly.
Lu Ji, the prime minister of Qi, immediately said: "Prime Minister Han, the king knows the good intentions of the princes of Han, but the princes are the king's ministers, how can they surrender to another prince?"
The titles of ministers of Wei, Wu, and Song were all directly reduced to kings, and the noble titles of the princes were gone.
Unexpectedly, Prime Minister Han actually laughed loudly and said: "King, the virtuous people live here. The king admires Qi Gong's virtue and is willing to call you the king with the surname Ji!"
"boom!"
It was like a meteor hitting the ground, instantly shocking everyone and leaving them speechless. Some people were inexplicably horrified, while others simply didn't expect it.
Mist grass!
Prime Minister Wei was stunned. He also wanted to ask Duke Qi to be crowned king. Even the reason was exactly the same as that of South Korea. The Marquis of Wei was unwilling to remove the title of a prince like the Marquis of Wu.
Then we can only upgrade Qi Gong to the king. In this way, it is very reasonable for him to be a prince and profess his ministers to the king.
The Marquis of Wei and the Marquis of Han are really smart, and they are both princes with the surname Ji, which is really outrageous.
Seeing that he was overtaken by Prime Minister Han, Prime Minister Wei hurriedly walked out, bowed and said: "Qi Gong, Wei is also willing to accept you as king. Your virtue is so high that only the throne can match it."
Qin Guogongzi Sheng stood there awkwardly. What should he do if his lines were taken away?
Two princes surnamed Ji are willing to accept Qi Gong as their king. Everyone turns their attention to Prince Luo. What will the Luo Kingdom do about this matter?
The princes of the Central Plains, with the surname Ji, want to make another prince their king. This is a naked challenge to the destiny of the country.
The eyes of the monarchs and ministers of Qi State also fell on Luo Li.
They didn't expect that Korea and Wei would serve as kings.
Although I have thought about this kind of thing privately, and there is a Chu State in the palace who has been king for hundreds of years.
But as a prince in the Central Plains, king is still a sacred word, and this title only belongs to the one in Luoyi.
Thinking of the emperor in Luoyi, Qi Gong suddenly felt that it was very reasonable for him to become king.
Luo Li understood that everyone was waiting for his attitude. He understood that this was what his father said, the consequences of trampling on the royal power.
Both Han and Wei dared to directly proclaim the Duke of Qi as king. If he were not here today, I am afraid that Qi would have directly accepted the offer. By then, everyone in the world would surely be proclaimed king.
The status of the royal family was naturally low that week, let alone unbearable.
So he asked directly: "If you want to be the king, should I call you King Qi or Emperor Qi from now on?"
Everyone's heart skipped a beat, Qi Gong said quickly: "Of course he is the King of Qi. He may have some virtues, but he has not inherited the destiny of Heaven. How dare he usurp the position of Emperor?"
Luo Li added: "In that case, where did your throne come from?
Can the throne be held by all the princes?
If you think you are virtuous enough to be king, then go to Luoyi and ask the Emperor of Zhou to sacrifice to Haotian and ask for the king's order for you. "
Since we can't prevent Qi from becoming king, we can just separate the king and the emperor. Anyway, all the people in the world are called the emperor.
This was equivalent to agreeing to Duke Qi to be king. Duke Qi almost jumped up for joy. Lu Ji gently pulled his robe and whispered: "King, even if Luo Guo agrees, you can call yourself king, but you can't call yourself king alone." The king should be crowned king together with Qin and Chu.
Qin is the overlord of the western border, and it will suppress Wei in the future. Qin is a worthy target.
The State of Chu has always claimed the title of king alone. If the princes of the Central Plains recognize his throne, they will probably not be hostile to the State of Qi in a short time. "
Qi Gong frowned and said: "If this is the case, wouldn't there be four kings in this world?"
Things become less valuable if there are too many. The most noble thing is when there is only one king in the world.
If there are two, as a truly powerful king, it can be tolerated, but with so many kings at once, what's the point of being king.
Lu Ji still whispered: "Your Majesty, Prince Li just said that the king is not equal to the emperor, the emperor is the only one. But when you become the king, you are no longer a simple minister. This is what you need."
King and non-king are completely different in political status.
Duke Qi was convinced and said to everyone: "The Marquis of Wei and the Marquis of Han are willing to accept Gu as their king. If Gu refuses the kindness of the two monarchs, it would be too arrogant and not the etiquette for treating the leaders of the Xia Kingdom.
But Gu did not dare to claim the throne alone, so he asked Prince Sheng and the Prime Minister of Chu to report back to Uncle Qin and the Marquis of Chu.
I am willing to respect the two monarchs as kings. If I am willing, I will go to Luoyi and worship Haotian in front of the emperor of Zhou. If my virtue is enough and Haotian shows mercy, we will become kings together. "
Naturally, the Chu State didn't care, but Gongzi Sheng was a little hesitant.
He did not expect that Qi State would respect Qin State as king at the same time. Wei Yang, the commander of Zuo Shu, had never mentioned this before.
But at this moment, he was not allowed to think too much. He could only bow and salute and said: "Your Majesty, the foreign minister will return home now and report this matter to the king."
As everyone brought this shocking news back home, Luo Li walked out of Linzi, looked to the west, then looked at Qi State, shook his head and said, "What a pity."
…
The Prime Minister of the Three Kingdoms is an event worth writing about in the middle of the Warring States Period. It marks the further decline of the Zhou royal family. The Zhou royal family has been left with the name of the co-lord of the world and the Jiuding symbolizing the royal power.
The incident of King Xiang not only completely destroyed the sanctity of Emperor Zhou, but also destroyed the sanctity of the title "king".
The Luo Kingdom proposed that the Emperor of Zhou should offer sacrifices to heaven and thus grant kings to the three kingdoms. This was essentially a "king of princes" and was uniquely different from the "King of Heaven" of the Emperor of Zhou.
In terms of the relationship between heaven and man, placing the "kings of princes" under the "Emperor" was Luo's effort to ensure the sole sanctity of the Emperor of Zhou.
But the result is that the divine meanings such as "Supreme" and "Emperor" that have always been associated with "King" are gradually stripped away from "King".
In the end, in fact, the "king" was downgraded to a title above the fifth rank. After the world was unified, the "emperor" finally replaced the "king". ——"The Rise and Fall of the Zhou Dynasty"
This chapter was made up by me without any realistic academic basis.
(End of chapter)
