Time flies, mid-April.
Everything in Gao Nu was as usual, but in the city guard's mansion, just as Bai Yan was waiting for the third batch of stirrups, several news came one after another that day, catching Bai Yan off guard.
The first was the news coming from Yunshan Pass. The Yueshi and the Xiongnu seemed to have started fighting.
The second was the news from the Qin Army coming from the border between Qin and Yuezhi. The cavalry from Longxi had arrived at the border.
The third one is the news from Yuzhong. The news from Yuzhong says two things in total.
First, a disaster occurred in Dai County of Zhao State, affecting most of Dai County. The distance of the ground moving from east to west reached 130 steps. Now most of the foundations of houses in Dai County were destroyed, so that the houses collapsed and countless people were crushed to death. Most of the survivors were also wounded and homeless.
Second, the garrison in Shangdi has already headed to the Zhao border.
In the study room.
Bai Yan looked at the scrolls of bamboo slips. After reading the last scroll, he looked thoughtful.
When they were in Xianyang, everyone knew that there would be a battle between the Yuezhi and the Xiongnu, and the battlefield for this battle must be the border.
The border between the Yueshi and the Xiongnu goes all the way south to the Gaonu.
Therefore, the original plan was for him to lead the cavalry to wait and see at Gaonu. Once the Yuezhi were defeated and showed a disadvantage, he would lead the cavalry north to help the Yuezhi and get rid of the Xiongnu.
However, news of the disaster in Zhao State came, disrupting all previous plans.
Bai Yan knew that for the Qin State, although the survival of the Yuezhi and the Xiongnu was very important, it was far from important enough to destroy the Zhao State.
It was Xianyang's decision to move the Longxi Iron Cavalry northward.
The purpose was that when the Yuezhi fell into a disadvantage, Gaonu's cavalry did not need to go north, but could leave to go to Zhao at any time.
"Heaven is going to destroy Zhao!"
A vicissitudes of murmur sounded in the study.
The one who spoke was not Bai Yan, but the old man. Only the old man would sigh like this when he saw the natural disaster on Daichi.
The old man closed his eyes, thinking that Daijun, which Li Mu had run for many years, suddenly became a hell on earth.
Even the old man couldn't help lamenting the injustice of God.
Why did God treat Li Mu like this?
The State of Zhao had been suffering from drought before. He had been to Dai County and saw with his own eyes that the land in Dai County was yellow and cracked. Except for the miserable withered grass under the scorching sun, the bare ground was thousands of miles away. The red sun was burning like fire, and the wild vegetables and seedlings were all withered.
Drought has already turned Daijun into a barren land. Countless people and animals have died, and all life has been devastated.
Now we have another natural disaster!
"Boy, do you really want to lead troops to destroy Zhao?"
The old man turned his head and was detained for nearly two months. He argued with Bai Yan countless times, but this was the first time that he looked at Bai Yan with such sadness.
Bai Yan, who was sitting next to the wooden table, was quiet and didn't speak until a moment later, he spoke softly.
"Old sir, you should know that even if Bai Yan doesn't go, the Qin capital will definitely send troops to destroy Zhao! All the cavalry officers and soldiers under Bai Yan's command are from Qin, and Bai Yan is only a general."
Bai Yan told the old gentleman that in fact, whether he went or not, he could not change the entire situation now.
Gao Nu's cavalry officers and soldiers were all Qin people, and they all aspired to change their destiny through military exploits. They also had their wives, children, and children living in Qin's cities and rural pavilions.
If he, Bai Yan, disobeys orders, other generals will replace him.
"That's all, hey, it's all God's will!"
When the old man heard Bai Yan's words, he was not as stubborn as before.
When he learned about the natural disaster in Daijun, even the old man felt that God wanted Zhao to die.
This was also the case hundreds of years ago on the eve of the fall of the Western Zhou Dynasty.
"General! News from Handan, Zhao Kingdom!"
Outside the study, Ye hurried in with a scroll of bamboo slips, and then handed the bamboo slips to Bai Yan.
Handan?
The old man frowned slightly when he heard this. He had always known that Bai Yan sent Xi Zuo to Handan, but he never knew what Bai Yan was planning.
"Gongzijia?"
Bai Yan opened the bamboo slip and looked at the contents inside.
Although what was explained in the bamboo slips also represented natural disasters in the county, his meticulous work was not as detailed as that sent by Xianyang, so it was already much later in the evening when he learned the news.
Now there is one more thing mentioned in this bamboo slip.
Gongzi Jia requested Zhao Wangqian to send relief supplies to Dai County, but Zhao Wangqian refused because the treasury was empty and he was afraid that Qin would attack Zhao.
This simple sentence made Bai Yan pay keen attention to Gongzi Jia, and it seemed that Gongzi Jia had his heart set on Dai Jun.
Daijun!
"That's it! If this happens, Li Mu will die!"
Bai Yan put away the bamboo slips, shook his head and said.
Bai Yan's words made the old man beside him completely confused. Even Ye looked at Bai Yan with a puzzled expression.
What exactly was said in this bamboo slip that could make Bai Yan so sure that Li Mu would die!
In the study room.
Seeing the old man reaching out to see the bamboo slips, Bai Yan did not refuse and handed the bamboo slips to the old man. Then he stood up and went to the wooden desk in the office, took out a brand new bamboo slips, then took the still wet pen and ink and started writing on the bamboo slips.
Bai Yan ordered people to hurry up and send this bamboo slip to Xianyang.
In the study room of the Xianyang Palace, Bai Yan looked at Wang Jian, Li Si, Wei Liao, Wei Zhuang and other important officials of the Qin State, but he did not think of estrangement, or had no chance to estrange them.
At that time, Bai Yan still felt strange and vaguely felt that something was wrong, so he did not mention bribing Guo Kai.
Nowadays, due to the natural disaster in the present county, by chance, he learned the news late, and happened to accidentally tell him about the affairs of the court master Jia.
This is also true.
Bai Yan was just glad that he didn't tell Ying Zheng and other important officials of Qin to bribe Guo Kai.
Guo Kai may have been the mastermind behind Li Mu's death, but the cause of Li Mu's death was not Guo Kai, but Gongzi Jia.
Gongzi Jia, surnamed Ying, surname Zhao, named Jia, is Zhao Jia.
The eldest son of King Zhao Daoxiang and the brother of Zhao Qian, King of Youmiao.
Speaking of which, Zhao Jia, who was the eldest son, was originally going to inherit the throne. Later, because King Zhao Daoxiang Qian fell in love with Zhao Qian's mother, he changed the throne to Zhao Qian.
"Gongzijia!"
The old man looked at the bamboo slips and quickly noticed an unintentional sentence mentioned on it.
Then the old man looked at Bai Yan, who was writing bamboo slips with his head down in front of the wooden table in the distance, and an idea came to his mind.
This guy must be plotting against Gongzi Jia!
But what can Gongzijia do?
With this thought in mind, the old man looked at the words on the bamboo slips, and then kept thinking about his understanding of the Zhao Kingdom's court and what was happening in Zhao Kingdom now.
Soon, the old man's eyes widened and his breathing became rapid.
Divorce!
That boy wanted to use Gongzi Jia to drive a wedge between Zhao and the court.
The old man has been traveling around the country before and has a former residence in Zhao State, so the old man knows Zhao State better.
Now that he has seen the natural disaster in Daijun and Gongzijia, the old man knows that it is really possible to do this. After all, Daijun is too sensitive.
"Ye, order someone to send him to Xianyang immediately! No delay."
When the old man came back to his senses, he saw that Bai Yan had roughly written the bamboo slips. After drying them slightly, he rolled them up carefully and handed them to Ye.
"promise!"
Ye nodded quickly, turned around and walked outside.
The old man watched Ye leave, and he and Bai Yan were suddenly the only two people in the study.
The old man put down the bamboo slips and placed them on the wooden table, then turned to look at Bai Yan.
"Boy, who is your mentor?"
The old man didn't believe that Bai Yan didn't have a mentor behind him.
With just one sentence, he can keenly seize opportunities and see the most obscure and deadly aspects of Zhao Guo at a glance. This is not just as simple as talent.
Behind Bai Yan, there must be someone who knows Zhao Guo very well, and that person's status must be high.
Otherwise, there are some things that even the people of Zhao do not know and have no chance to understand.
Who is that person?
"Huh? Mentor?"
In front of the wooden table, Bai Yan just stood up and was a little surprised when he heard the old man's words.
But after thinking about it, he didn't hide it from the old man.
"The boy once studied with Tian Jin and Mr. Jin!"
Bai Yan said that Duke Jin had taught him too much. Although Duke Jin was killed and no one in his family was left alive, Duke Jin also told him that his name should not be mentioned in Qi.
But now in Qin State, we are still facing this stubborn old man, so naturally we don't need to worry so much.
"What? Tian Jin? Absolutely impossible! This is absolutely impossible!"
When the old man heard Bai Yan's words, his eyes widened in astonishment. He was even more surprised than when he learned that Bai Yan had used alienation. He shook his head and waved his hands.
In the eyes of the old man, how could this boy Bai Yan be Tian Jin's apprentice?
Who is Tian Jin? He is a famous doctor in Qi State.
As a person, he enjoyed a high reputation in the court, among the people, and even among hundreds of schools of thought.
How could Tian Jin be the mentor of this boy Bai Yan!
Absolutely impossible!
You must know that Tian Jin has been loyal to Qi all his life, and even when he died, his heart was with Qi.
Not to mention that he was familiar with Tian Jin, but he had never heard that Tian Jin had taken on a disciple before his death.
"You kid, you can't talk nonsense. If you don't want to talk, you don't have to use Tian Jin's name to fool me. I have known Tian Jin for many years? Humph! You are fooling me!"
The old man looked at Bai Yan and thought that Bai Yan sincerely didn't want to tell him. He might have heard of Tian Jin's name before, so he used Tian Jin's name to fool him.
Perhaps he was remembering the tragic death of his old friend, but the old man was a little angry that Bai Yan actually used this to fool him.
Even though he was trapped in Gao Nu by this boy Bai Yan, the reason why he didn't make trouble and wasn't anxious to leave all the time was because he was looking at this boy.
Never thought about it.
The current situation really made him a little disappointed. The disappointment was even worse than when the young man served for the Qin State.
Maybe when this kid leads the troops to leave, he will also find a way to leave here.
"Old sir, I'm not talking nonsense."
Bai Yan was shocked when he saw the old man's reaction, but he could understand it after thinking about it.
After all, how could a famous minister who dedicated himself to serve the Qi State send his apprentice and only disciple to serve the Qin State all the way?
In other eyes, this is simply impossible.
However, Bai Yan knew that there were always exceptions to things. For example, what would this famous minister think if he saw his whole family being killed after his death? What would happen if he saw the king who served him loyally in the past ordered the execution of his whole family.
Even if he knew that the king was deceived, who had no right to say that he could not have the feeling of disappointment if he had not experienced it.
"The old gentleman is an old friend of Jin Gong? Do you dare to tell me your last name? Let's see if Jin Gong has told Bai Yan!"
Bai Yan walked to the window, knelt down and looked at the old man with interest.
An old friend of Duke Jin?
Jin Gong taught him nightly for three years. During these three years, Jin Gong did not hide anything from ancient books to all countries in the world. If this old man was really Jin Gong's old friend, Jin Gong would definitely tell him.
"You want to trick me into telling me your name, huh, no matter what! I don't believe it, you just spell a last name, what can you know!"
The old man snorted angrily, not believing that the boy in front of him was really Jin Gong's apprentice.
Under Bai Yan's gaze, the old man said: "Wei!"
Finished.
The old man tilted his head and looked at Bai Yan out of the corner of his eye, looking like he was seeing a joke.
The old man didn't believe what the boy in front of him could say.
Still pretending!
Yoyoyo, you are still pretending to be deep in thought, I really thought.
"Wei Zhe, is this old gentleman Wei Zhe?"
Bai Yan suddenly looked at the old man and said with a surprised look on his face.
After knowing that this old man was the "Huangshi Gong" and "Old Man of the Old Man" who would later teach Zhang Liang the art of war, Bai Yan was already sure that this old man must be a powerful person. Now the old man said his surname was Wei.
Then Bai Yan quickly thought of the hermit master that Jin Gong mentioned countless times: Wei Zhe!
According to Jin Gong, Wei Zhe was an unparalleled talent. He was once invited by the former king of Qin to serve as an official in Qin, and as soon as he arrived in Qin, he became a high official!
Is this old man the Wei Zhe that Jin Gong mentioned?
Bai Yan was really confused and surprised.
Like Bai Yan, there is Old Man Wei. At this moment, Old Man Wei is no better than Bai Yan. When he heard Bai Yan really call his name, Old Man Wei was completely confused and looked at Bai Yan blankly.
The transformation of Old Man Wei has almost been written, and he is the strongest assistant.
Don't scold me for bringing a sword to water. I have omitted a lot of it. I will explain it later when I have an opportunity.
(End of chapter)
