Spring and Autumn I Am King

"Zheng Guo is indeed using troops against the Man clan..."

After several days of waiting, Ye Gong and Shen Zhuliang finally confirmed the news. Zheng Guoqing's elite soldiers travelled quickly and commanded 5,000 soldiers. Picking the season of spring ploughing, they secretly marched towards the negative millet and Yinggu areas in the southwest border of Zheng country. These areas were obtained by Zheng State's continuous expansion to the west and the embezzlement of the Zhou royal family. Further south, it is the upper reaches of the Rushui River where the Man clan is located.

Shen Zhuliang is not unfamiliar with this scene. Seven years ago, it was also the season when it was warm and cold. You speed took the state of Chu to break through. . At that time, Shen Zhuliang was not yet Duke Ye, and Yedi was used by the Chu State to settle the capital of Xu State, which moved south to avoid the State of Zheng. Yousu destroyed Xu in the first battle and became famous all over the world, but it was also buried in Shen Zhuliang's heart. a thorn.

Now the situation seems to have reappeared that day, and the thorns in Shen Zhuliang's heart are faintly erupting.

The people of Chu are still martial, and they must recover their losses, otherwise they might as well commit suicide. This is a tradition left over from generation to generation by King Wu of Chu, King Wen of Chu, King Cheng of Chu, and King Zhuang of Chu. Therefore, in the face of Zheng Ren's coveting of the Man clan, Ye Gong immediately wanted to respond.

But the next moment, Shen Zhuliang's reason was admonishing himself that it is not appropriate to conflict with the people of Zheng Guo at this time.

When he went to Zaiying a few years ago, he saw that all the local industries were prosperous, and the vitality of the Chu State was recovering little by little, and he was naturally overjoyed. Father's revenge!

The eldest brother of the king of Chu, and also the order of the state of Chu, Yin Zixi revealed the next plan to Shen Zhuliang.

Zixi pointed his hand to the northeastern border of Chu State on the map at that time: "When Chu State was at its peak. Chen, Cai, Dun, Hu, Shen and other states were all the princes of the Great King, but now, they are all separated from Chu State. control."

Cai State was the first to rise up against Chu State, and they used the power of Jin to destroy Shen State. Then he led the Wu people into the pirates, leading to the Battle of Poying. The Chu state all wanted to destroy it and then quickly, but due to the protection of the Wu state, it has never been realized.

In the state of Chen, when Wu Shi entered Ying, Chen Huai-gong swayed between Chu and Wu. Finally did not dare to send troops. Four years later, King Helu of Wu called him into Wu, but Duke Huai had to go to Wu under pressure, but he was detained and eventually died in the state of Wu. His son Yue was established as the monarch by the people of the country, and now he is temporarily close to the state of Chu. However, it is unstable. If the military pressure on Chu State's side is less, they will betray them later.

In addition to these two Five Hundred Cheng princes, there are also two small states of Dun and Hu. Relying on the infiltration of Wu State's power, they also began to openly rebel against Chu, and they embezzled the counties and towns of Chu State. The hundreds of li of land east of Zhaoling and Rushui are no longer owned by Chu.

In Zixi's plan, these treason are obstacles that must be cleared for the revival of the state of Chu. First, because they will attract the Wu army again at any time! The second is to let the world know that the state of Chu will have its revenge!

"I only hope that King Wu Helu can attack with all his strength. In this way, we will have a chance..." Zixi was still very jealous of Helu. In a sense, King Wu was also the murderer of Shen Zhuliang. Father's enemy. At that time, they didn't know the news that King Wu Helu was defeated and died in Duli.

When he returned to Yexian in Kaichun to learn the good news, Shen Zhuliang, while feeling that his enemy finally escaped Si Ming's ecstasy, also secretly said: The opportunity for Chu to restore its old territory has come!

Attacking Chen, Cai, and Dunguo, although it is mainly the matter of Shang Cai Gong and Xi Gong, but it is also indispensable to use the power of his Yexian and Dongxibugen.

That's why Shen Zhuliang hesitated. At this critical juncture, is it appropriate to have a conflict with Zheng in the north? Do you want to discard the Man clan as a dispensable bone and let Yousu concentrate on gnawing on it? After a year and a half, after clearing up Chen Cai and then looking for Zheng Guo to settle accounts together?

With this hesitation, Shen Zhuliang summoned the retainers and diners, and wanted to hear their opinions. Most people felt that Chen Cai should be the mainstay, but only one person put forward a different opinion.

It is Ji Ran, a man of Song who is mysterious and secretive on weekdays, but quite insightful at critical moments!

...

"Ye Gong wants to give up the Man clan?" After listening to Shen Zhuliang's question, Ji Ran shook his head: "This is unwise, this is dereliction of duty."

These words were a bit serious, and Shen Zhuliang was shocked: "What do you mean by this, sir?"

"For the state of Chu, and for Duke Ye, the Man clan is not a bone that can be thrown away. The Man clan is between Song and Hua, and the terrain is dangerous. Chengzhou, west through Weihan, united with the Qin state, and easted at Songgao, then Zheng Xu is in control. This is the so-called chess robbery trend, which must be fought by those who use troops since ancient times. Therefore, over the past hundred years, Jin and Chu have fought for Zheng. Most of the time, he competes between Ying and Zhan. King Zhuang of Chu went north to the Central Plains, and it was also through this road. If King Zhuang knew that Ye Gong was going to give up the Barbarian clan, I don’t know how he would be angry.”

Ye Gong smiled calmly: "The state of Chu can't even keep the old territory, how can you talk about going north to the Central Plains? The kid doesn't have the talents of Sun Shu'ao and Wu Can, he can't help the king, and he can't settle down with Li Shu. In this life, I only want to be a householder for the state of Chu, and I don't want to do that. A matter of contention."

Ji Ran sighed in his heart, this is also the reason why he couldn't really serve him even though he was in Ye Gong's mansion. This person has the talent to run the country, but he has no ambition to open up. It's a pity, it's a pity, doesn't he know that in this world, the rivalry between princes is like sailing against the current, if you don't advance, you will retreat?

So Ji Ran said again: "This is the offensive side, let's talk about the defense, if the Zheng people get the Man clan and go south out of Sanya Pass, they can go directly to Fangcheng, and they can reach Chu Guowan and Ye Zhibei. This place is actually the north of Ye Gong. Portal. Did Duke Ye forget the battle of destroying Xu seven years ago? Yousu is known for his swiftness in starting a division. If the state of Chu and the state of Wu clash again, Duke Ye will use his main force to attack Chen and Cai, and then he will lead his troops southward, and there will be no more men. The four counties north of Fangcheng may not be protected. That’s why I say that Duke Ye is unwise to give up the Man clan so easily at this time!”

Shen Zhuliang nodded and began to get serious. Although he was not interested in expanding the territory, he was very concerned about guarding the northern gate of Chu Kingdom. Ji Ran was right.

"Sir, what do you mean by saying that I neglected my duty?"

"What is Duke Ye's title?"

Shen Zhuliang was stunned for a moment and said, "The county magistrate of Yexian. The left Sima of Chu State, Zhang Ye, Luyang, Dongbugen, Xibuzhen military affairs..."

"Who is the one who is in charge?"

"Jin, Zheng, Chu, and Chengzhou..."

"The king of Chu handed over the soldiers of the four counties to Ye Gong, hoping that you will guard the northern gate. This is extremely important to the state of Chu. The strategy for Chen, Cai, etc., is needed by Sima Zixi and Ziqi in the court. What I worry about is what Shang Cai Gong and Xi Gong need to prepare. Ji Siye, raccoon catching mouse, Ye Gong's duty is to sit on the flank for the army of Chu State, and now the Zheng people are heading south. You sit idly by and want to give up Isn't this dereliction of duty to guard the front line of your own to help with the affairs of the friendly forces? In the end, if you lose the northern border, it will affect the three armies."

A trace of cold sweat broke out on Shen Zhuliang's forehead, "I see. I almost made a big mistake. Fortunately, Mr. Zheng pointed out that I am not afraid of Zheng Guo, but I am worried that fighting with Zheng Guo will cause trouble in the north and delay. Ling Yin and Sima's plan."

"Otherwise, Duke Ye can't give up the Man clan. But there is no need to fight for the Man clan. The four counties in Fangcheng can recruit 20,000 troops, and Duke Ye only needs to send 3,000 to 5,000 people to help the Manzi guard Rushui and the city. A little lesson is enough to prevent the Zheng people from quickly occupying the Barbarian clan. Now that the country of Zheng is at odds with the country of Song and the Zhao clan, it will never dare to cross the Rushui and go south!"

...

"When a gentleman came forward, he immediately persuaded Duke Ye and gave him admiration."

"Zigong, don't make a fool of yourself. If it were you, I'm afraid it would be easier. With just a few words, Duke Ye could send troops."

Next to the stream outside Ye County, on both sides of the table in the small pavilion, Zigong and Ji Ran sat opposite each other and drank. After Lord Ye summoned Ji Ran to ask about countermeasures, he soon dispatched troops to the Man clan. As long as the Chu and Zheng people began to confront each other, the people arranged by the Zhao clan over there would naturally be able to create some "conflicts" for them and let Zheng Guo When he ate half of the bones and was reluctant to spit them out, he was caught in the border conflict and had no time to look north.

The reason why Ji Ran would help Zigong was because of their meeting the day before yesterday, when they talked about phoenix birds and phoenix trees, Zigong understood Ji Ran's purpose completely, he took the opportunity to solicit for Zhao Wuxi at that time: "Of course there is! As long as the phoenix bird leaves the leaf land and travels a thousand miles north, it will find the real sycamore tree on both sides of Qishui, waiting for it to build its nest."

Ji Ran understood and said with a smile: "Although the phoenix bird is a little big, a giant tree of 2,000 times is enough to rest, but this tree attracts not only phoenixes, but also hundreds of birds in groups. its location?"

"Although there are many birds, they all have to condescend to be under the real phoenix. The land of Jizhou to the east of Taihang is in ruins, and there is just one person who can coordinate the overall situation. The lord is looking forward to it!"

Zigong is the truth. The Zhao clan has now built a vast territory, especially Chaoge, Handan and other places that have been demolished and rebuilt, and they are facing a situation in which they are in urgent need of officials. The lower-level officials can be selected from the diners and subordinate ministers, but they have at most a hundred capacity, and they lack a thousand talents to lead the whole situation.

That's why Zhao Wuxi was obsessed with Ji Ran, who impressed him deeply. In the past two years, he urged Nanzi from Song State to help him find him several times, but he came back without success.

Unexpectedly, Quilt Zigong met in Ye County. What's even more gratifying is that Ji Ran also had the intention of leaving Ye Gong and going north to Zhao!

The two hit it off immediately, Zigong expressed his intention to recruit Zhao Wuxi, but Ji Ran had the intention to go north to do something big, so naturally it was not good to leave empty-handed. Only then did Ji Ran help, and Zigong has now completed his main mission. , I was relieved.

"I don't know when sir will go north with me?"

"Not urgent."

Ji Ran sipped his shriveled wine and said, "I will stay in Yexian for more than a month, and then I will leave under the pretext of traveling to Chu country. When I return to Shangqiu, I will be under Zhao's eyes. Zigong is still afraid that I will run away?"

Zigong slapped his palms and said, "That's fine. In fact, in addition to inciting Duke Ye to conflict with the Zheng people, he has another mission, so he has to stay in Chu for a while."

"Oh, what's the matter?"

"Find a treasure for my lord!"

Ji Ran's eyes flashed a faint disappointment~www.wuxiahere.com~ Could it be that this gentleman of the Zhao family is a person who covets treasures? Such people are generally difficult to achieve great things.

He smiled and said, "The state of Chu has many treasures, the leather of the rhinoceros and elephants, the gold of Lishui, the lacquer of Wan Ye, the scorpion of the Tang state, and the legendary pearl of the prince, which is one inch in diameter and can light up twelve cars. What is the general looking for?"

"Neither." Zigong smiled and said, "The treasure that your lord wants me to look for is a talent from the state of Chu. Your lord once said that if you can get a great talent like Mr. Ji and Zhang Zi, it will be enough to cover a thousand miles. According to twelve cars?"

Ji Ran couldn't help but admire: "It's a good one who treasures talents." His intention to go to Zhao could not help but firm up a lot.

Later, the two began to talk about the talents of Chu State, and they continued to chat until it was almost evening. At this time, Zigong suddenly remembered what Zhao Wuxi had told him when he was parting, and asked, "There is a man named Fan Li and Wenzhong in Chu State, I wonder if you have heard of it, sir."

In an instant, Ji Ran's face was extremely strange. After he pondered for a while, he said with a half-smiling smile: "Zigong has found the right person. Not only have these two old men heard of it, they are also acquaintances."

PS: I am very busy today, only one chapter, sorry (to be continued.)