The Qi army neatly defeated Tan and Sui, shocking the princes who came to join the alliance. The reputation of Qi Hou spread far and wide.
After conquering Tan and Sui, the Marquis of Qi deliberately took out some spoils and distributed them to other princes. These vassal states were also very happy. After all, they did not contribute any effort. They just followed around and got rich rewards.
Especially Xing State and Cao State. These two small countries have been troubled by Yi Di for many years. Now that they have Qi State as their backer, they want to perform well.
Xinghou grabbed Qihou's hand and said: "I heard that Luhou was disrespectful to you. You are the leader of the princes. If you are disrespectful to you, you are disrespectful to us. So I hope you can lead us to attack Lu!"
The Marquis of Qi was very happy. He was also unwilling to lose to Qi in the last battle of Changshao. He even agreed to lead the army to attack Lu after spring next year.
Lu State.
Marquis Lu was also very nervous when he heard that Marquis Qi was coming to avenge the last battle of Changshao. Especially after the alliance between Qi and Qi, they destroyed two small countries in a row and became famous. When they learned that Qi was coming to take revenge, Marquis of Lu sent someone to invite Cao GUI.
Last time, the Marquis of Lu relied on Cao GUI's strategy to defeat Qi and Song in succession. Lu Gong was very confident in it and felt that he could defeat Qi again with Cao GUI.
Cao GUI said: "Your Majesty, since Guan Zhong's reform, the state of Qi has become stronger and stronger. It is no longer what it used to be. Now it has become the leader of the princes and allies. If we rashly start a war with it, I'm afraid we will be the losers."
The Marquis of Lu had different opinions on this: "The Marquis of Qi used his powerful troops to attack and destroy Tan Sui. This was an unjust battle. He commanded the princes and must have used his military power to intimidate. Qi is unjust, how can it sit still?" The position of alliance leader? How can we win this battle?"
Seeing that Marquis Lu was like this, Cao GUI had no choice but to agree to lead his troops to fight.
In March, the state of Qi led a coalition of princes to attack.
Cao GUI led his troops into battle.
The coalition's 50,000 elite troops and thousands of chariots had high morale. Cao GUI was unable to win three battles and lost his troops and territory. Because of his consecutive defeats, Cao GUI was very ashamed, so he took the initiative to apologize to the Marquis of Lu.
"I have lost my troops and lost my territory, so I ask your Majesty to punish me!" Cao GUI said shamefully.
"Qi is strong but Lu is weak. The Marquis of Qi summoned all the countries to fight. The difference in strength is huge. It is not your fault!" After three consecutive defeats, the Marquis of Lu finally came to his senses and understood that Lu's current strength was not that of Qi's. The opponent does not blame him.
"Cao Qing, please call me quickly. You are the general of Lu State, and the army still needs you to lead it!"
Not only was Cao GUI not punished, but he was comforted. He suddenly had the idea that a scholar would die for his confidant, and he decided in his heart that Lu must not fail.
"My lords, the Qi army is tyrannical and our army is invincible. Do you have any plans?" Marquis Lu asked.
"Your Majesty, why don't you ask for help from other countries?"
"How to ask for help? Song State and Qi State are on good terms, Wei State is exhausted, and Jin State's office is restless..." said another minister next to him.
"Your Majesty, the Marquis of Qi is carrying the might of a great victory. The State of Lu cannot stop it and can only ask for peace. Why not cede the land occupied by the Marquis of Qi to the State of Qi in order to ask the Lord of Qi to stop his troops?" Seeing that everyone had no choice, one of them The minister spoke.
Marquis Lu looked at the ministers in the hall and saw that no one objected. He sighed and said, "It seems that this is the only way to go. Let's send an envoy to ask for peace from Marquis Qi!"
The Qi army won three victories in three battles. The Marquis of Lu was afraid and sent an envoy to sue for peace. He ceded the land of Wenyang as an apology and expressed his willingness to accept the Marquis of Qi as the leader of the alliance.
The Marquis of Qi was very happy to hear that the Marquis of Lu surrendered and sued for peace. You must know that the Lu State is different from other vassal states. A powerful country second to the Jin State, he even held high positions in Wangji many times.
Now the Marquis of Lu has ceded territory to him for peace, and is willing to respect him as the leader of the vassal alliance. His influence is extraordinary in the Zhou Dynasty. This also makes the position of Marquis of Qi as the leader of the alliance more valuable and recognized by other princes. The Marquis of Qi was very happy, so he agreed to Lu's request for peace, and then met in Ke.
The envoy brought back the news that the Marquis of Qi had accepted the peace proposal. The Marquis of Lu finally breathed a sigh of relief, and then ordered people to build a high platform for the alliance in Kedi.
Now that territory has been ceded for peace, Marquis Lu no longer cares about saving face. The states of Qi and Lu formed an alliance, and other vassal states also came to join.
This time, not only the vassal states from the last alliance came to the alliance, but after several wars, the Qi State became more and more prestigious, and many small countries also came spontaneously, making the scene more grand than the last time.
During the alliance meeting in Kedi, the Marquis of Lu, Cao GUI and several other ministers personally greeted the Marquis of Qi with a low profile, which made the Marquis of Qi very happy. The Marquis of Qi and the Marquis of Lu negotiated according to the agreed terms of reconciliation, because envoys had already reported it before, and both parties knew that this time they were officially signing an agreement.
After the ministers next to him wrote down the conditions, the next step was for the Marquis of Lu and the Marquis of Qi to agree, and the blood alliance was officially signed.
The Marquis of Qi was very happy and immediately stepped forward in person, ready to make an alliance through blood.
Cao GUI, who had been by Lu Guo's side, flashed in his eyes. Seeing that there were no guards around Qi Hou, he suddenly jumped up and rushed to Qi Hou. He drew out the bronze sword hidden in his sleeve and pressed it against Qi Hou's neck. superior.
"Be bold!"
"Don't hurt my lord!"
"stop!"
"Put the sword down quickly!"
The surrounding guards were frightened. They wanted to kill Cao GUI, but were worried about hurting Qi Hou. For a while, no one dared to step forward. He had to surround the people.
"Let your Majesty go quickly, or today will be the day you die!" The surrounding attendants and Doctor Qi Guoqing shouted harshly.
The people around him were in chaos, but Cao GUI was not afraid at all. The sharp sword in his hand was pressed tightly against Qi Hou's throat. As long as he used force, he could kill Qi Hou.
"What do you want?" Qi Hou asked.
"Qi is strong and Lu is weak. You bully the weak and occupy Lu's land. What do you think we should do, Marquis of Qi?" Cao GUI said.
"Do you want to return the land of Lu alone?"
"right!"
"impossible!"
"Then we can only let Qi Hou and the villain die together!" Cao GUI said coldly.
"How dare you? Did you know that the princes were angry and the two countries went to war? Hundreds of thousands of corpses were buried in the rivers of blood and the oars were floating in the river, and the dead were sleeping in their homes!" said the Marquis of Qi.
"Then the Marquis of Qi knew that this common man was so angry that he lay down the corpses of two people, bleeding for five steps, and the whole world was in ruins!" Cao GUI showed no sign of weakness.
After hearing Cao GUI's words, Qi Hou thought about it again and again, but finally did not dare to gamble. In the end, he had to agree to Cao GUI's request and agreed to return the land of Lu.
After receiving the promise, Cao GUI immediately threw the dagger on the ground and stepped back. For a while, everyone looked at him in surprise.
The rescued Qi Hou quickly retreated to the protection of his guards. When he thought about being kidnapped and threatened, he felt extremely angry. He wanted to break the contract on the spot and was about to order his guards to kill Cao GUI.
Guan Zhong hurriedly stepped forward to stop him and said: "Your Majesty, you must not obey the agreement. You are just trying to be quick for a while, but you have broken the trust of the princes. As the leader of the alliance of princes, you must keep your word. Only in this way can you dominate the world!"
Qi Hou thought for a moment and agreed.
...
In the sixth year of Duke Huan, Qi attacked Lu, and Cao GUI became the general of Lu. He was defeated in three battles. Duke Zhuang of Lu was afraid, so he offered the land of Wenyang to make peace, and he became a general again. Duke Huan of Qi promised to form an alliance with Lu in Ke.
Duke Huan and Duke Zhuang made an alliance on the altar. Cao GUI held a dagger and robbed Duke Huan of Qi. No one on either side of Duke Huan dared to move, but he asked, "What do you want, general?" Cao GUI said, "Qi is strong and Lu is weak, and a big country would invade Lu too." . Today, if the city of Lu is destroyed, it will overwhelm the territory of Qi. Please follow your plan.
Duke Huan angrily rebuked: Do you know the anger of the princes?
GUI said: I have never heard of it.
Duke Huan said: When the princes were angry, the two countries fought and laid down hundreds of thousands of corpses. The rivers of blood floated in the oars, and the dead were buried in their homes.
GUI said: "Can you taste the wrath of Wen Pifu?" Two people were lying on the corpse, bleeding for five steps, and the world was pure!
Duke Huan was afraid, so he followed him. Cao GUI abandoned his sword and returned to his position as ministers. Duke Huan was angry and wanted to break his promise, but Guan Zhong said: "No, I am greedy for small gains for my own pleasure. I have abandoned the trust of the princes and lost the support of the world. It is better to do it." So Duke Huan then cut off the land of Lu and invaded it. All the lands lost in Cao GUI's third battle were restored to Lu. ——"The Spring and Autumn Period of Huai Palace·Biographies of Assassins"
PS: The author combined Cao GUI and Cao Mo into one person. There was also debate in history whether they were one person or two, so let’s consider them as one here. However, both Cao GUI and Cao Mo were fierce men. After the Warring States Period, whether it was "Tang Ju Fuli Fuli the Mission" or Lin Xiangru forcing the King of Qin to play seduce, or returning the intact jade to Zhao, they basically forced the king out of anger. It's a pity that since the end of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, this kind of wrath has disappeared from the stage of history. After all, no one in power wants to be braved by a common man.
