Zhao Zheng also drank a sip of wine and said seriously: "Wu Anjun has fought in all directions without losing a single defeat, so why does he claim to be the general of the defeated army?"
Li Mu sneered: "Although this war with your Qin State has no result, if you abandon your troops and die, you will be defeated."
"In my opinion, this matter is all due to King Zhao's stupidity and is definitely not the fault of Lord Wu'an." Zhao Zhengkai explained.
What position does the leader of the enemy camp have in saying these words to himself? Li Mu said displeasedly: "King Qin, let's talk about business. If you come to Li Mu to talk about this, I won't accompany you."
Unexpectedly, as soon as Li Mu finished speaking, Zhao Zheng suddenly stood up, bowed his sleeves to him solemnly and said solemnly: "Our ancestor Mu Gong was able to benefit the country from a wide area because he cultivated virtue and practiced martial arts. Zhao Zheng's virtue is weak and his ability to govern the country will inevitably fall short." , I am waiting here sincerely because I want to imitate my ancestors’ way of using the wise—please Lord Wu’an come to Qin to help me.”
Yes, Duke Mugong's virtue of recruiting talents is known everywhere, and Zhao Zheng's intention of coming here is finally clear.
This situation made Li Mu suddenly think of King Zhao Qian.
I remember that a few years ago he returned to Handan from the north to report on his work. As soon as he stepped into the palace of King Zhao, he heard the faint sound of silk and bamboo. Zhao Wangqian closed his eyes and listened, not knowing whether he was listening to the battle with the Xiongnu or the war with the Huns. Listening to the musicians playing music.
What chilled him the most was that when he mentioned hundreds of soldiers killed in battle, Zhao Wangqian actually smiled in surprise and said: "You only died so much? Haha, well done, Mr. Wu An is worthy of being the God of War. He is a man of few people and has gained face for Zhao Guo." !”
Looking at the King of Qin in front of me again, I heard that whenever a large army goes out on an expedition, he will personally carry a jingaxe to strengthen the three armies; whenever the soldiers return from a bloody battle, he will personally prepare strong wine to reward the warriors and comfort the souls of the dead.
Moreover, he still remembered that when he was sent to Qin, the young King of Qin was still young, so he could only wait in the heavy rain to stop Lu Buwei on the official road without telling Lu Buwei, and then said something grateful to him for saving his life and invited him to join Qin as a minister. At that time, he felt immature, but he just laughed it off, got on the chariot and drove away without looking back.
Unexpectedly, the young man whom he ignored in the past would now become a king who could look down on the world. He was willing to risk his life to appear in the Zhao Kingdom, stand sincerely in front of him, and solemnly bring up the past.
Faced with the sincerity of the King of Qin, Li Mu was not unmoved, but... Qin and Zhao were sworn enemies. Even if the mother country did not use it, it would never be possible for him to join Qin as a minister.
After calming down, Li Mu said calmly: "Li Mu is a martial artist with poor talent and little knowledge. He does not deserve such courtesy from the King of Qin."
When his good intentions were rejected, Zhao Zheng was neither annoyed nor angry. He just said calmly: "Zhao Zheng sincerely asks for your help. Why doesn't Mr. Wu An think twice before making a decision?"
Li Mu said in a non-negotiable tone: "This is impossible." After a pause, he snorted again: "Now that the mother country has abandoned Li Mu, isn't it because of your Qin country? When the two countries are at war, a loser is a loser. Li Mu is not afraid of admitting it. But wouldn’t it be ridiculous to ask Li Mu to become your Qin minister instead?"
In fact, Li Mu had been loose for a moment before and Zhao Zheng saw it, so naturally he would not be repulsed by his righteous words: "Wu Anjun's situation is certainly due to the estrangement between our Qin country, but if we look closely, it is not Zhao. The reason is that the king is ignorant. You should know that if he believes in you, no matter how the Qin State is framed, he should never waver."
At this point, Zhao Zheng sneered and continued: "But he doesn't want you to hold military power. Not only do you have military exploits, but you also have the support of the people. When the enemy invades, they will not hesitate to force you to hand over the military power at the cost of hundreds of thousands of soldiers' lives." , is this also what our Qin country did?"
"You..." Zhao Zheng's words obviously touched Li Mu's pain point, and he was unable to defend himself for the moment.
Seeing this, Zhao Zheng simply added another fuel to his anger: "I know that Lord Wu'an is upright and upright, loyal to the State of Zhao, loyal to the King of Zhao, and even more loyal to the people of the State of Zhao. He still has the ambition to serve the country to this day. If the State of Zhao needs it, you will definitely do it." He did not hesitate to put on his armor again and fight bravely to kill the enemy. But... Mr. Wu An, have you ever thought about it, is it worth it?"
Speaking of this, Zhao Zheng's expression became more solemn: "Now the soldiers of the State of Zhao are exhausted, the fields are deserted, and the warehouses are empty; the ministers do not fulfill their loyalty, the king does not perform his virtues, and the country does not retain its prestige; the wine and meat of the rich families are abandoned to the point of stench. No one cares about the hungry corpses on the roadside, their flesh is rotten and their bones are cold, and no one pities them! On that day, Zhao Zheng saw the child eating dirt and dying, and his mother was crying beside him. It still hurts to think about it now. I wonder if this is what the general said. To protect the country, to be loyal to the king, and to protect the people?"
The God of War, who had frightened the Xiongnu, was in a daze when he heard Zhao Zhengzhi's words and was speechless for a long time. There is no way to argue because everything Zhao Zheng said is true, but...
"It is the State of Zhao." When he came back to his senses after pondering, Li Mu's tone was unusually firm.
Yes, even so, it is Zhao. No matter how bad it is, Li Mu still can't give up on it. Because that is the mother country where I was born and raised.
"Li Mu is deeply grateful for the kindness of the King of Qin. However, if he is a minister of Qin and Qin and Zhao go to war one day, how will Li Mu deal with it? If the King of Qin uses Li Mu to attack Zhao, he should obey his orders in order to repay the kindness of knowing the encounter. However, if the State of Zhao is at war, Li Mu also has the kindness to raise him, so how should he make a decision then?"
It is undeniable that Li Mu sincerely admired Zhao Zheng and was tempted to recruit him. Moreover, Zhao Wangqian's actions had completely chilled him. It was obviously a wise decision to choose another Ming master. It's not enough for him to agree to serve Qin just for these reasons.
Seeing Li Mu's looseness and concerns, Zhao Zheng said sternly: "I can promise that as long as Lord Wu An is willing to serve Qin, I will immediately order the withdrawal of the troops. Of course, I don't want to talk to you with lies. The withdrawal is only temporary. Qin and the Zhao will fight again sooner or later. The only thing I can guarantee is that you will never be forced to lead the army."
After receiving such a reply, he was very surprised and even felt a little guilty: "How can Li Mu be so virtuous that he deserves such a concession from the King of Qin?"
Zhao Zheng looked at him and said in a tone that left no room for doubt: "For a few people, one good general is far better than a hundred cities. Having said that, it is up to Lord Wu An to decide whether to stay or go. You can rest assured that after careful consideration, If you still want to leave, I will never stop you."
Indeed, all that needs to be said has been said, and there is no point in saying more. Li Mu believed all these promises made by Zhao Zheng, but he also vaguely felt that Qin might want more than just him, but he couldn't tell him the reason now.
In this way, he held and loosened the hand hidden in his sleeve, loosened and held it again, repeated several times, and finally got worried. He stood up and bowed his hand to Zhao Zheng apologetically: "Prince Qin. Forgive me, Li Mu couldn’t abandon his motherland even though he thought about it again and again.”
When Zhao Zheng heard this, his eyes were full of disappointment that could not be hidden. Although he quickly returned to normal as if nothing had happened, Li Mu still felt guilty. In a daze, he heard Zhao Zheng say: "It doesn't matter, since Lord Wu An insists, I won't force you to stay anymore." Then he clapped his hands and said to Zhou Wudao who was guarding outside: "Bring them here."
Li Mu looked at Zhao Zheng in confusion, not knowing what his intentions were, while his brother who had been waiting outside thought that the situation had changed and looked angrily at Zhao Zheng who walked out with Li Mu.
At this moment, a few-year-old baby not far away let go of his mother's hand, opened his arms and ran staggeringly towards Li Mu, shouting excitedly: "Father, Dad!" Li Mu turned his head and looked in shock. Zhao Zheng didn't know what to say. He was so stunned that his son threw him into his arms, and he almost couldn't stand.
Zhao Zheng smiled and said: "In the past, Mr. Meng Wu'an rescued Zhao Zheng at the court meeting so that he could survive. I will repay you by bringing your relatives here this time."
Zhao Wangqian had previously threatened him with his relatives, and he had already prepared for the worst. After he was relieved of his heavy responsibility that day, he rushed to Handan non-stop in order to rescue his old mother, wife and children. Even if he failed, he would live and die with them.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Zheng stopped him halfway and expressed his intention to recruit him. In fact, for this reason, it was not a bad idea to use any means to threaten his relatives and Qin, but Zhao Zheng did not do it. Not only did he not do it, he also sent them to him safely. In order to reassure him, he actually said that it was to repay his kindness.
"I have made up my mind, why does King Qin have to do this..." Li Mu patted his son's head thoughtfully, telling him not to be naughty, and then looked at Zhao Zhengdao in a daze.
Zhao Zheng said calmly: "Aren't you going back to Handan just to rescue them from trouble? I just helped you bring them here. I don't want to force you to change your mind. There is no need to bear the burden."
At this time, the brother who had been invited to "watch the excitement" came back and said with lingering fear: "Brother, luckily we didn't go there. There is a group of people ambushing over the mountain stream, waiting for us to go over and catch them all."
"Whose?" Li Mu blurted out subconsciously.
Zhao Zheng asked in a funny way: "There is a saying that 'cutting off a plant leaves no trace of resentment, and no harm is done to the neighbours'. Who should Mr. Wu An be concerned about?"
Zhao Wangqian... Li Mu had a sullen face and looked very solemn. Suddenly he felt a tightness in his chest. After a while, he gathered his mood and handed over to Zhao Zheng: "Li Mu will remember the kindness of King Qin and bid farewell."
As he turned around, Zhao Zheng asked: "Since he wants to kill you, there will no longer be a place for Lord Wu An in the Zhao Kingdom. May I ask where you are going from here?"
"Does the King of Qin still want to keep me?" Li Mu knew that Zhao Zheng knew what he was asking, but he still turned around and looked at him funny.
Zhao Zheng shook his head and said with a smile: "I just want to remind Mr. Wu An that the death of Prince Jia, the governor of Daijun, was closely related to him. If you don't believe it, you should not show up before paying homage to your deceased friend to see if he is in the governor's mansion." How many eyeliners are around? And...be careful if he waits and lures you over." The topic returned to the answer Li Mu wanted in the first place.
"This is impossible. He can deal with me reasonably. The young master has never failed in his virtue. After being demoted, he is no longer a threat. Isn't he afraid of being infamous for killing his brother?" Li Mu still has a trace of luck towards Zhao Qian from the bottom of his heart. Hope, at least I feel that it is impossible and no reason for him to do anything about Gongzijia.
"I only tell Mr. Wu An what I know. As for what he thinks, it is Mr. Wu An's own business." Faced with Li Mu's question, Zhao Zheng did not defend himself.
After seeing Li Mu off, the surroundings became quiet. Zhao Gao smiled leisurely and said: "Use retreat in order to advance, and play hard to get. With his intelligence, I am afraid he will figure it out soon."
Zhao Zheng said with certainty: "He is a person of the most affectionate nature. Once he understands it, he can no longer refuse."
Li Mu has always been unyielding and has always regarded death as his own. Zhao Zheng and Zhao Gao knew his temper well, so they used softness to overcome strength this time. There was no strong attitude from beginning to end, but they could make him loose again and again.
Moreover, just when Li Mu was really relenting, Zhao Zheng not only did not persuade him again, but chose not to say anything more. In fact, he felt that even if Li Mu agreed at that time, he might not be able to give up and let him go without Zhao Qian killing them all. Qin's life-saving sentiments, at that time, he really would not hesitate anymore.
"Zhou Wu." Zhao Zheng said in a deep voice.
Zhou Wu, who had just sent the people away and had not had time to take a breath, ran over and cupped his hands and said, "What is your order, Your Majesty?"
"Send someone to follow secretly and wait until Zhao Qian takes action before rescuing people."
After Zhou Wu took the order and left, Zhao Zheng was silent for a moment, then suddenly turned around and looked at Zhao Gao with raised eyebrows, and said complainingly: "This is clearly the teacher's idea, but the student has to finish everything by himself."
Zhao Gao couldn't laugh or cry when he saw this. He knew that he was complaining to him that he had just been sitting with him but he didn't say a word. He thought to himself: Didn't you perform well? After coming back to his senses, Zhao Gao mocked himself and said: "I framed him by my own hands. Do you want me to persuade him to leave his motherland with all his words, just because the king cherishes his talents?"
As soon as the words fell, the two of them looked at each other funny, and looked at each other for a long time before looking away.
Yes, a nest of snakes and rats! No one can “dislike” anyone.
"Haha, drink and drink!" Zhao Zheng lifted his clothes and turned around to sit back, smiling boldly and heartily.
Zhao Gao also followed suit, knelt down slowly and said quietly: "Didn't the king not allow his ministers to drink?"
Zhao Zheng curled up the corner of his mouth and smiled very arrogantly: "I mean you drink it by yourself, teacher, you watch."
Zhao Lingcheng smelled the aroma of wine and looked up at the sky speechlessly. This time, he was too sentimental.
