The King of Qin was full of energy. After staying in Wucheng for a few days, he went to inspect other places.
Although Zichu repeatedly assured that he was in good health and could go on the inspection tour with the King of Qin, he was still left behind by the King of Qin and handed over to Zhu Xiang to take care of him.
The young Ying Xiaozheng was also left behind, and Meng Wu and Li Mu served the King of Qin.
The King of Qin thought that Meng Wu and Li Mu were not with Zhu Xiang and Zichu, and was not confident in leading the guards, so he selected one person from his own guard team and gave him to Zichu and Zhu Xiang to use.
"Didn't you recommend Wang Jian to me? He is Wang Jian." After the King of Qin called Wang Jian to his side to serve as a close attendant for a period of time, he found that although Wang Jian was young, he was indeed very talented. This time, he specially brought Wang Jian with him, "Wang Jian, from today on, you will be a retainer of Zichu."
Wang Jian knelt down and said, "As you command."
Zichu was very excited. This was the first time he received a reward for connections from the King of Qin.
In addition to retainers, the mansions of great nobles, if they have real power, will also have "retainers" who enjoy official status.
Gan Luo, a genius in history, once served as a retainer of Lu Buwei.
Although Wang Jian's family background was not very prominent, he was still a long-standing nobleman in the Qin State. If he wanted to become an official, he certainly did not need to seek refuge with anyone and become a retainer.
But the old King of Qin gave him to Prince Zichu, which had a different meaning. Wang Jian and the family behind Wang Jian would be Prince Zichu's team in the future. If Wang Jian and his family defected to someone else, it would not only be a betrayal of Prince Zichu, but also a betrayal of the King of Qin.
As a son of an aristocrat, Wang Jian originally planned to become a close attendant to the King of Qin directly by virtue of his talent and family background after he gained some fame. Now that the King of Qin gave him to the prince, he actually felt a little uncomfortable.
However, this awkwardness disappeared when the King of Qin heard "Zhu Xiang recommended him".
A shy smile appeared on Wang Jian's face. He thanked Zhu Xiang and felt very excited.
Now the whole world has heard that Duke Zhu Xiang has the ability to identify people, and those he recommends must be real talents; if anyone can become friends with Duke Zhu Xiang, then that person will definitely become a world-famous talent in the future.
Wang Jian envied Li Mu very much. He was about the same age as Li Mu, and Li Mu had already achieved a lot. Wang Jian had only served as a junior general on the battlefield once, waiting for his family to find an opportunity for him to meet the nobles in the palace. If Duke Zhu Xiang recommended him, he might be able to realize his ambitions earlier.
When Zhu Xiang saw Wang Jian smiling at him, he couldn't help but look at Li Mu.
Li Mu gave Zhu Xiang a "?" expression.
Zhu Xiang thought that Wang Jian's shy expression was really like Li Mu when they first met.
Unfortunately, Li Mu no longer showed his signature shy smile, and became more and more honest about his talent. This must have been the result of the shameless Lin Zhi's corruption.
"No need to thank me. You can show your talent even without my recommendation." Zhu Xiang said.
Wang Jian did not continue to thank Zhu Xiang in front of the King of Qin, but in his heart he disagreed with Zhu Xiang's humble words.
He was already thirty years old, and although he had read a lot of military books, he had made no achievements on the battlefield. He gradually began to doubt whether he did not have much real ability.
Especially after what happened to Zhao Kuo, Wang Jian became even more flustered and unconfident.
Zhao Kuo also never lost a debate. He worried whether he would become another Zhao Kuo, and even wanted to give up climbing the military ladder and seek a position as a civil servant.
Zhu Xiang’s recommendation came at a very timely moment, so he did not put down the military book in his hand.
Whenever Lian Po and Bai Qi went to the Xianyang Academy to give lectures in their spare time, he would go there every time to study, taking notes in a whole notebook, just waiting for the opportunity to practice.
Now, perhaps if he came to Chu, he might encounter this opportunity.
Wang Jian was very nervous. He was worried that he would not perform well when he got the opportunity.
Zhu Xiang had no idea of Wang Jian's anxiety.
Three of the four great generals of the Warring States period ate at his house. These three generals were all full of confidence since they were young. Even though Bai Qi was cautious and Li Mu was modest, they were also very proud of their talents.
Zhu Xiang took it for granted that Wang Jian should be a similarly arrogant person.
In fact, if we review Wang Jian's life, we will know that Wang Jian was a late bloomer. In his golden years as a general, he did not achieve much.
Wang Jian's birth and death dates are unknown in history, and only later novels have written about his birth and death dates. Before Qin Shi Huang ascended the throne, there was almost no record of Wang Jian's life, and only a few words in Fan Ju's biography mentioned that Wang Jian participated in a small-scale surprise military operation.
According to this record, Wang Jian was already a low-ranking non-commissioned officer in the army at that time. So Wang Jian was at least seventeen years old. Furthermore, Wang Jian was already a veteran when he conquered Chu, and he was at least fifty years old.
Later historians inferred that Wang Jian was born around 287 BC. According to this record, he was already in his forties or nearly fifty when he won his first military achievement that can be recorded in history books.
There is also a record of him "serving as attendant to King Zheng of Qin", which means that when Ying Zheng first became the King of Qin, he was still a close attendant and had no qualifications to lead troops.
This shows how long it took him to finally succeed.
In this era, even nobles would probably have to close their eyes and wait for death at around fifty. Wang Jian had just come to prominence at this time, and one can imagine how he felt during the long wait.
Although Wang Jian survived ten years less, he still saw no hope of making a name for himself at the age of thirty, and he doubted himself a lot. Zhu Xiang picked him out of the crowd, and he felt not only excited and grateful, but also a sense of redemption that he was about to give up but was recognized by a very powerful person.
Zhu Xiang was distracted for a moment, and Wang Jian's favorability soared to two and a half hearts.
He got goosebumps when looking at the favorability list.
Although he was very grateful for Wang Jian's favorability, it was so sudden that he felt strangely like he had encountered a friendship version of love at first sight.
General Wang, it's just a recommendation, it's not that serious.
Zhu Xiang never expected that Wang Jian, who was known for his shrewdness in history, would actually be such a righteous man who knew how to repay his gratitude!
"Although you are Zichu's bodyguard, we are of similar age and will be officials together in the future, so we can be considered friends. I will cook for you in the future. I am a great cook!" Although Zhu Xiang got goose bumps all over his body, he immediately climbed up the bamboo pole to consolidate his friendship with Wang Jian.
Zichu waited for the King of Qin's ship to leave the shore for a long time before he rubbed his dark circles and yawned. Yesterday, he played mahjong with the King of Qin until midnight. The King of Qin was still in good spirits, but he was not feeling well. "Zhu Xiang, do you think highly of Wang Qing? Do you want to make friends with him as soon as you meet him?"
"Qing" is a respectful title for people who have served as officials. Zichu used the title to express his respect for Wang Jian.
Zhu Xiang said, "Don't you trust my ability to judge people? Wang Jian is a strong candidate to compete with Li Mu for the title of Marquis of Wu'an."
Zichu complained: "You can't be called a person reader, you can be called a fortune teller. Those witches and alchemists are not as accurate as you in fortune telling. Wang Qing and Li Mu have similar talents? Why don't you tell Li Mu this? I want to see Li Mu's distorted expression. He has always regarded Wu Anjun as a sure thing."
Ying Xiaozheng tried to smooth things over: "Teacher can be given the title of Wu'an, and General Wang can be given the title of Wucheng. Wucheng is also very good."
In the dream, he was planning to confer the title of Wucheng Marquis on Wang Jian (at that time, the title of a marquis was the same as the title of a duke), but when he was preparing to adjust the policy, Wang Jian had already died.
In the dream, there were four feudal lords in his dynasty, namely his father-in-law, his mother's lover, and two relatives of the Chu state who rebelled against Qin. All four were killed by him.
I was very depressed at that time and decided never to be granted a title of nobility again.
However, after unifying the country, the discomfort in his heart disappeared, and he instructed the court to change the standards for conferring titles of nobility. However, he never expected that General Wang did not live to see that day.
The self in the dream felt a little guilty, and slapped his head, thinking that since the merits of Wang Jian and his son were enough to be made marquis, he should make Wang Jian's son a marquis alone, and let Wang Jian's grandson inherit the title that originally belonged to Wang Jian. Thus, the Wang family had two marquises, father and son, and became extremely prominent.
Ying Xiaozheng believed that he would not have the psychological burden in his dream. He would definitely make Wang Jian a marquis as soon as possible.
Although the teacher was very capable, the Qin State unified the world on more than one battlefield, and the more capable generals the better. It was just a matter of granting them titles of lord, and he could afford to give them titles.
Zichu looked down at his short son and said disdainfully, "You are the great-grandson of the King of Qin, and you are thinking of being made a lord?"
Ying Xiaozheng held up his short arms, raised his chin and looked at his sick father: "Why can't I think?"
Wang Jian's forehead was covered with sweat.
What's going on? Why did he suddenly bring up this? Although he envied Li Mu, who had already been appointed as the general, he had never thought of competing with the general. Don't suddenly say that he wanted to compete with the general Li Mu for the title of "Wu'an Jun". He didn't want to offend anyone!
Moreover, Prince Zichu and Prince Zheng actually said that they would personally confer the title of lord on him, and even selected the title. The King of Qin is still here! What are you going to do! Trouble comes from the mouth, don’t you understand
Wang Jian felt dizzy and was about to fall down.
Zhu Xiang patted Wang Jian on the shoulder and said, "When you follow Zichu in the future, you will encounter situations like this many times. Just get used to it."
Wang Jian: "…" What do I want to get used to? Do I want to get used to you comparing me, a retainer of the prince of Qin who has not yet made any military achievements, with the general? Or do I want to get used to you talking about who you will give the title of lord to after you become the king of Qin behind the king's back? I don't want to get used to it!
"Alright, General Wang has just joined us, don't give him too much provocation." Zhu Xiang said, "You two should be more reserved and adjust your attitude to that of outsiders."
Zichu: "Okay."
Ying Xiaozheng: “Oh.”
Wang Jian continued to sweat profusely on his forehead: "I am not a general..." Don't call me a general!
Zhu Xiang said: "Then I will continue to call you by your name, and you should call me by my name as well. Let's go home and have dinner!"
Zichu: “Yeah.”
Ying Xiaozheng: "I want to eat sweet and sour fish!"
Zichu: "I don't eat fish."
Ying Xiaozheng: "Just eat it."
Zichu: "No."
Zichu was holding Ying Xiaozheng's hand, and his IQ suddenly dropped. He argued with his son about whether to eat fish in the evening.
Wang Jian's steps were unsteady and he could hardly walk.
He seemed to have lost confidence in being a retainer of Prince Zichu.
"You'll get used to it." Zhu Xiang was still repeating himself.
Wang Jian became even less confident.
No matter whether Wang Jian had confidence or how much stimulation he received, he was already a retainer of Zichu, so he could only do as Zhu Xiang, the repeater, said, "get used to it."
Wang Jian suffered from insomnia for several days. His only consolation was that Duke Zhu Xiang's cooking skills were really first-rate and the food he cooked was very delicious. He was also from an aristocratic family and had eaten a lot of delicious food, but this was the first time he had eaten such delicious food.
Zhu Xiang was particularly fond of taking care of people, and he would prepare a portion of whatever Zichu and Zheng'er had for Wang Jian.
Wang Jian could feel that Zhu Xiang was not just being polite when he said he considered him a friend, he really cared for him as a friend.
Even Wang Jian thought in the dead of night that not only friends, but even most relatives would find it difficult to be as kind and considerate as Zhu Xiang.
At least apart from his old mother, no one watched him every day to see if he had eaten less, whether he should add or take off clothes, whether his complexion seemed wrong, or whether he was used to his bed.
Zhu Xiang was even sharp enough to notice that his clothes were not suitable for the local area, so he asked someone to remake several sets of clothes, shoes and socks for him.
Wang Jian looked at Zhu Xiang's kind expression, then looked at Ying Xiaozheng who shrugged his shoulders. He always felt that Zhu Xiang did not treat him as a friend, but as a nephew.
Could it be that because Prince Zichu is weak and needs care, and Prince Zheng is young and needs care, Zhu Xiang habitually treats all his friends in a manner that leans towards Prince Zichu and Prince Zheng
It’s really scary…
"You'll get used to it." Ying Xiaozheng said.
Wang Jian wanted to cover his ears. He was afraid of hearing the words "just get used to it."
Zichu privately "ridiculed" Wang Jian to Zhu Xiang: "Is he really that powerful? Why do I feel that he is a little too honest?"
Zhu Xiang almost laughed out loud. Honest? You said this old general of the Qin State who made Qin Shi Huang drive all night and cling to him was honest
"He's just not used to it." Zhu Xiang said, "When he gets used to it..."
Zichu said, "'Just get used to it'. Stop talking, I'm almost sick of it. Didn't you see that he turned pale when he heard you and Zheng'er singing 'Just get used to it'?"
Zhu Xiang couldn't help it and laughed out loud.
Bullying historical figures, especially those who will be known as cruel people in the future, is really interesting. It seems that he needs to prepare a small black history notebook to record the black history of his friends.
For example, Wang Jian’s “honesty”.
"I think the Chu people will soon send a small army to harass us. Let him lead the army and you will know how powerful he is." Zhu Xiang said, "The Chu relatives in Qin will definitely secretly tell the Chu people that the King of Qin has come to Chu."
Zichu's face darkened: "That's treason. What good will it do them if something happens to the King of Qin?"
Zhu Xiang said, "Yes. The current King of Qin is suppressing the relatives of Chu. The Crown Prince is honest and kind, and he dotes on Lady Huayang. The relatives of Chu probably want Crown Prince Zhu to be the King of Qin."
Zichu: “…”
He frowned and was silent for a long time, then asked, "Do they think the Chu people can defeat the Qin people's fleet?"
Zhu Xiang said, "It's just a try. It won't do much harm. Even if we can't break the Qin fleet, it's good to scare the King of Qin. Maybe the King of Qin is timid and got scared and fell ill on the battlefield."
Zichu was speechless.
Who do you think got frightened and fell ill on the battlefield? Have you forgotten that the King of Qin and you first met at Changping
Zhu Xiang saw Zichu's inner complaints and said, "Of course the King of Qin will not be frightened, but they don't know that the King of Qin will not be afraid. Most monarchs will be frightened."
Zichu asked, "How many troops will they send?"
Zhu Xiang spread his hands: "How should I know? It is possible that they think it is impossible to capture the King of Qin, and it is a waste of effort, so they only send a small group of people to harass; or it is possible that the King of Chu wants to play a big game? Chunshen Jun is a very radical person. If he can persuade the King of Chu, then we have to prepare for a big war."
The nobles of Wu and Yue in Jiangdong were wealthy and had frequent exchanges with the nobles of Chu. After Zhu Xiang arrived in Jiangdong, he collected detailed information about Chunshen Jun.
He did not know much about Chunshen Jun in his mind, and all the detailed information about Chunshen Jun was learned in this era. After collecting detailed information about Chunshen Jun, Zhu Xiang deduced that Chunshen Jun, who was a minor noble, could become a feudal lord and a powerful minister of the State of Chu, and was listed among the four great princes of the Warring States Period on a par with the royal children of other countries. He was a person with a strong gambling nature.
Chunshen Jun's previous series of meritorious deeds were all risking his life for a tiny chance, as if he was dancing on the edge of a knife.
He had no foundation in Chu, and to consolidate his position he needed to constantly make contributions. Therefore, he was the most radical war faction in Chu, and hoped that Chu would continue to send troops.
If Chunshen Jun knew that the old King of Qin was in Jiangdong, he would definitely not miss this opportunity and might even lead his troops to attack Jiangdong in person.
Zhu Xiang's guess was not wrong.
Chunshen Jun in history was indeed a radical. After the Battle of Handan, the Qin State declined, and the battles with Qin were basically led by Chunshen Jun.
When Zichu ascended the throne, they formed an alliance to attack Qin, but were forced back by Qin's tactics of sowing discord. Chu spent a lot of manpower and material resources but gained nothing. The great nobles of Chu took the opportunity to rebuke Chunshen Jun for his excessive military expansion, which offended Qin and brought danger to Chu.
The king of Chu believed him, and Chunshen Jun was neglected by the king of Chu for a time. The capital of Chu continued to move eastward, all the way to Shouchun.
Although Chunshen Jun was later reinstated, his fiefdom in Huaibei was changed to Jiangdong.
Huaibei is the Central Plains, and Jiangdong has not yet been fully developed. It can be seen that the King of Chu no longer trusts Chunshen Jun as much as before.
However, it was precisely because of this change in name that the term "Shencheng" came into being.
Now "Shencheng" is probably gone. I wonder if it will be changed to some strange name like "Mucheng", "Jiangjuncheng" or "Zhuxiangcheng".
After listening to Zhu Xiang's analysis, Zichu held his forehead and said, "It seems that the Chu people may really send troops. Chunshen Jun is very powerful in Chu and will not miss this opportunity."
"What are you worried about? Li Mu, Meng Wu, and Wang Jian, no matter which one you pick, they can't beat them. If the three of them get together, if Qin can gather an army of 500,000, they can flatten the entire Chu capital." Zhu Xiang said nonchalantly, "You are just standing on tiptoe and watching from a safe rear area. Zheng'er is not afraid, so are you afraid too?"
Zhu Xiang said loudly: "Like!"
Zichu: “…” Damn it!
After Zhu Xiang finished teasing Zichu, he laughed and said, "Since you are not afraid, why are you sighing? Do you regret that you can't go to the battlefield and gain military merit yourself?"
Zichu was actually moved.
Zhu Xiang used cold and ruthless words to mock Zichu's poor physical and martial arts, and told Zichu not to dream of leaving a black history in his life. In the future, when others mention Zichu, the King of Qin, the first thing they think of is Zichu's embarrassed posture on the battlefield, which will be infamous for thousands of years.
Zichu raised his sword.
Ying Xiaozheng sat in the arms of his new mount Wang Jian and said in a very mature manner, "I was wondering why my father and uncle hadn't fought today. Sure enough, they did. I feel relieved, relieved."
Wang Jian: “…” Why would you feel at ease when your father and your uncle are fighting
Ying Xiaozheng patted his new mount and said, "Hurry up, go faster, father and uncle are running too fast, I can't see them fighting!"
Wang Jian silently quickened his pace.
Although the complaints in his mind kept flooding the screen and even text hallucinations appeared in front of his eyes, he still had to obey the young master's orders.
Not long after Zichu and Zhu Xiang fought, they pulled Wang Jian aside to talk about the deployment of defenses.
When Wang Jian heard that the Chu army might attack, he immediately became extremely nervous: "Should I write a letter to General Li?"
Zhu Xiang said, "I can guess it, how can Li Mu not guess it? Before he comes back, didn't the King of Qin give you a chance to temporarily take over the garrison? Why don't you take this opportunity to do something to show your ability?"
Ying Xiaozheng cheered: "General Wang, work hard! I believe in you!"
Wang Jian: "… I am neither old nor a general. Can I really try?"
Wang Jian was very hesitant. Although he did have the power now, the King of Qin actually gave the power to Prince Zichu and Zhu Xiang, and he was just an assistant. Would it be okay for him to make the decision on his own? If something went wrong, could he bear the responsibility
It would be best for him to do nothing now and wait for Li Mu and Meng Wu to come back. In this way, he would not bear any responsibility.
"This is a rare opportunity. Give Li Mu a little shock so that he won't be too proud." Zhu Xiang continued to cheer, "The tiger talisman is in your hands. Even if you do nothing, you will still be responsible."
Wang Jian: "...Okay, I'll do it. I'll send someone to find out the movements of the Chu army first."
Zichu said: "Let's write a letter to Li Mu. Li Mu may not have guessed what Chunshen Jun was thinking." He added in his heart that he himself hadn't guessed it.
Zhu Xiang said, "Okay. But I think Li Mu may not arrive in time. Your Majesty may use Wucheng as bait to give Chu the illusion that Wucheng's defense is weak, and let Li Mu sneak back after Chu sends out troops. Replicate the events of Changping."
Zhu Xiang sighed, "Seeing that although the Lord acted as your retainer, he actually did not hide his identity well, I knew that the Lord had bad intentions. When he was in Changping, the Lord was really on a secret visit, and he pretended to be a staff member very well. If it weren't for Lord Bai's nervousness that gave him away, I might not have recognized him at the first time. Do you think the Lord looks like a retainer now?"
Zichu thought of the King of Qin standing at the bow with his hands behind his back, with Meng Wu and Li Mu acting as guards, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.
Even he himself was not qualified to ask Generals Meng Wu and Li Mu to abandon their defensive duties and serve as his guards. What virtue and ability did his retainers have
Not to mention that this retainer directly abandoned his master, the prince of Qin, to Wucheng and went on an inspection tour himself.
"Is it possible that Your Majesty intends to lure Chu to send troops?" Zichu held his forehead with both hands. "No way? How could Your Majesty be so reckless?"
Zhu Xiang said: "Don't try to guess what the king is thinking. You will never understand it no matter how hard you try."
Zichu thought to himself, when I become the king, I wonder if I can become as thoughtful as my grandfather. He probably couldn't do it, but at least Zhu Xiang could still tell what he was thinking at a glance.
As for the politics...
When Ying Xiaozheng saw Zichu looking at him, he gave Zichu a cute and innocent smile.
Zichu immediately looked away.
Now he couldn't necessarily guess what Zheng'er was thinking.
"What can I do?" Zichu asked, "Care for the people? Raise logistics?"
Zhu Xiang said: "Think about it yourself, do you still want me to assign tasks for you? You should assign tasks for me."
Zichu clenched his fists. If he hadn't just finished a fight and his strength hadn't been restored, he would have wanted to fight with Zhu Xiang again.
You still know that I am the prince of Qin, your future king? Where is your respect for me?!
Zhu Xiang scratched his ears. "Wait until you become the King of Qin, weakling Xia Tong."
Zichu trusted Zhu Xiang's judgment very much and quietly made preparations to defend against the attack of the Chu people.
When the King of Qin saw the letter written by Zhu Xiang, he smiled and asked, "Li Qing, do you think the people of Chu will come to attack us?"
Li Mu frowned and did not answer immediately.
The King of Qin was puzzled: "Didn't you think that the Chu people would attack Wucheng?"
Li Mu explained: "I am always ready to defend against the Chu people's attack. It doesn't matter when they attack or how many people they send. The dock I built on the river can come to support as soon as they see the beacon fire. But I didn't think that the Chu people would get wind of the king's trip from Qin, nor did I think about trying to figure out Chunshen Jun's thoughts."
Simply put, Li Mu was prepared to fight against the Chu people, but he didn't think about why the Chu people came.
This is the difference between a famous general like Li Mu and a liar like Zhu Xiang. Li Mu will not relax his defense just because the opponent does not show the intention to attack. A good general will be able to prepare in time whenever the enemy attacks.
The King of Qin said, "I will see if they dare to come. If they dare to come knowing that you have been waiting for a long time, they must have received the news from Qin."
The King of Qin sneered and said, "I hope my relatives won't let me down."
Although the King of Qin had suppressed the power of the Queen Dowager Xuan and the status of the Chu royal relatives, there were still many Chu royal relatives holding high positions in the court.
For example, this time the Zhou royal family sent troops there, led by relatives of the Chu royal family.
The King of Qin knew that Prince Zhu was honest and kind to those around him. He was worried that Prince Zhu would not be able to control the relatives of the Chu family after he succeeded to the throne, so he tried to test him first.
He made this sudden decision after he had packed his bags, so no one in the court knew about it.
He was a little wary of Zhu Xiang's guessing his thoughts, but after reading Zhu Xiang's letter carefully, he found that Zhu Xiang was only analyzing the objective situation and was not trying to guess his behavior and thoughts, so he felt a little relieved.
No king would like others to guess his thoughts.
The King of Qin said, "Zhu Xiang said that Wang Jian's talent can rival yours. What do you think?"
Li Mu said expressionlessly: "I have already gone ahead, so he won't catch up with me."
Meng Wu's mouth twitched slightly. Usually Li Mu seemed quite generous, but at this moment he was actually stingy.
The King of Qin's amusing nature broke out: "Why, you don't want to give him a chance?"
Li Mu replied: "Since Zhu Xiang said that he has the same talent as me, even if he starts to become famous from now on, I can also achieve the achievements he can make. I have already achieved many achievements and taken many steps ahead of him. Unless I live much shorter than him, I will not lose to him in my lifetime."
Li Mu smiled and said, "Zhu Xiang is very good at judging people. Congratulations to Your Majesty for getting another good general."
The King of Qin stroked his beard and laughed: "It's too early to say this now. Let's see if he can seize this opportunity. If he can make contributions, I will send him to the Three Jins to serve as Wang He's deputy general. One of you is in the north and the other is in the south. You have many military achievements and there is no need to fight for them."
Li Mu said: "Thank you, sir."
Although this was not a gift to himself, Li Mu still said thank you first.
The King of Qin said to Meng Wu again: "I will also give you a chance."
Meng Wu immediately said, "I'll just be the deputy general."
King Qin: “…”
Meng Wu: "I will definitely seize the opportunity and work hard to serve you!"
The King of Qin glared at Meng Wu and said, "Hmm."
Li Mu suppressed his laughter and said, "Be more ambitious. Although you are not as good as me, most of the generals of the six countries can be easily defeated by you if they meet you."
Meng Wu said cheerfully, "I don't have to say I'm not as good as you. Although it's true."
The King of Qin saw the two generals bickering very naturally in front of him and stroked his beard with satisfaction.
He was a little unhappy because Li Mu was on guard against him before, but later, Li Mu's unbridled attitude in front of him made him feel much better.
Li Mu might not be on guard against him, but against other Qin people who were eyeing Zhu Xiang. Otherwise, Li Mu would definitely be cautious in front of him and would not be so presumptuous.
The King of Qin said, "I have used myself as bait. The bait has been laid. It depends on whether the people of Chu have the courage to eat it."
Li Mu and Meng Wu looked at each other, their eyes filled with excitement and helplessness.
They were helpless that the King of Qin was using them as bait, and were excited about the great achievements that would follow.
No matter how many troops the Chu people send out, they will never be able to cross the Yangtze River!
While Zhu Xiang was helping with the logistics, he also summoned the city's medical doctors to prepare some wound medicines.
Although it was called a wound medicine, Zhu Xiang actually did not know the specific proportions of the medicine. He simply added some anti-inflammatory and analgesic herbs and ground them into a paste.
When Zhu Xiang was waiting for the Chu people to attack, before the Chu people arrived, a group of Zhao people came.
Zhu Xiang was extremely surprised. Why would someone from Zhao come to see him at this time? Could it be that something happened in Zhao
But the people of Zhao should know that since he had been driven out by the King of Zhao, it would be impossible for him to return to Zhao. Once he set foot in Zhao, he would definitely be imprisoned.
Knowing how capable he is, King Zhao would not let him leave even if he was scolded again.
Ying Xiaozheng and Zichu both looked unhappy and wanted to expel these Zhao people.
But looking at Zhu Xiang's expression, they suppressed their displeasure.
Obviously, Zhu Xiang really wanted to meet these people from Zhao.
Zhu Xiang received this group of Zhao people. These Zhao people did not come from Zhao State, but were originally practicing medicine in Chu State.
After learning about Zhu Xiang's reputation for preventing plague, they came to visit him without any hope. Unexpectedly, because they still spoke their native accent, Zhu Xiang received them.
When Zhu Xiang learned that this group of people were just traveling doctors, he felt half regretful and half relieved.
If this was someone sent by Lord Pingyuan to ask for help, he really didn't know how to respond. But since it wasn't a message from his former friend, Zhu Xiang was a little confused.
Zhu Xiang asked, "What can I do for you?"
The elected representatives respectfully expressed their desire to ask Zhu Xiang for medical advice, and requested Zhu Xiang to teach them the prescriptions for preventing and treating the plague and take them to other places.
Zhu Xiang said: "My prescription for preventing plague is public, you can find it out by yourself. But since you are doing good deeds by practicing medicine everywhere, I will give it to you directly. As for medical skills, I only know the medicinal properties of some herbs, and I don't know any medical skills. Sorry."
The old man immediately said that he dared not.
Seeing that Zhu Xiang was so easy to talk to, he hesitated for a while and said, "I don't have anything too precious to exchange with Duke Zhu Xiang for prescriptions, but I only have a few volumes of medical books. If Duke Zhu Xiang doesn't mind, I would like to present the medical books to him."
Zhu Xiang did not refuse.
The slightly reliable doctors of this era were all in the palace, and the common people were basically witch doctors who had not even read the Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine.
On the other hand, any doctor who is slightly reliable in this era will be worshipped by the powerful.
Judging from their clothes and medicine bags, and their knowledge of the plague, these traveling doctors were not witch doctors. They also wrote their own medical books, which showed that they had studied medicine systematically. Such talented people actually traveled around to practice medicine for common people and poor scholars. Since Zhu Xiang met them, he was willing to help them.
Zhu Xiang had decided to take their medical books, compensate them with medicine and money, and give them official authority to travel to Qin State, so that if they went to Qin State to practice medicine, they would not be arrested by officials.
Zhu Xiang asked, "May I ask what your name is, old man?"
The old man said, "My name is meaningless and I have forgotten it long ago. Now everyone calls me Bian Que."
Zhu Xiang: “…”
Zhu Xiang: “!!!”
Zhu Xiang: "Ah?! The old man has lived for more than 200 years?!"
The old man replied: "Duke Zhu Xiang has heard of Bian Que's reputation? Did he hear that Bian Que was killed in Qin? That was the previous Bian Que. Bian Que is the name of the person in charge of medical books in our school."
After listening to the old man's explanation, Zhu Xiang realized that "Bian Que" was not a person's name.
The original Bian Que was from the State of Zhao, and was a very famous doctor. Later, this famous doctor passed on his skills and medical books to others, and the disciple with the best Chinese medicine skills and the one who inherited his mantle became the new "Bian Que".
Later, the school grew in size, and there may have been many people in a generation who practiced medicine under the name of Bian Que.
They did not belong to the Hundred Schools of Thought, but were a small group that inherited the knowledge through master-apprentice relationship. If we must say what the characteristics of Bian Que are, it is that Bian Que generally did not accept offerings from a fixed king, but practiced medicine among the people. They would only go for treatment if invited by a king or noble.
Because of this, Bian Que had no power to protect himself. For example, after Bian Que diagnosed the King of Qin, he was killed by Li Xi, the imperial physician of Qin who was jealous of his medical skills.
Zhu Xiang speculated that the name Bian Que no longer existed in later generations, perhaps because the title of Bian Que had been lost in the Qin Dynasty's war of unification or the war at the end of the Qin Dynasty.
However, although the title was lost, their medical books were passed down and inherited by later generations of doctors.
This is true for all schools of thought; only the organizational structure disappears, but the ideas remain.
In fact, Bian Que lied. He did not happen to be in Chu and come to pay a visit to Zhu Xiang after hearing about his reputation. Instead, after hearing about Zhu Xiang's reputation, he made a great determination and came to pay a visit to Zhu Xiang with a vague and faint hope.
Although Bian Que was from Zhao, the Central Plains was also quite hot at that time, so people in the south of Zhao also suffered from water-gu disease. Bian Que's family members died from the sequelae of water-gu disease. How to treat water-gu disease was Bian Que's concern.
He believed that water-gu disease was caused by dampness entering the body, and spent his entire life studying how to expel dampness from the body and studying the theory of harmonizing yin and yang in the body.
When Bian Que heard about Zhu Xiang's reputation for preventing and treating water-borne diseases, he was initially reluctant to believe this theory, which was completely different from what he thought. However, the ability of a doctor lies in whether the disease is cured or not. Zhu Xiang effectively suppressed the onset of water-borne diseases and even conducted experiments on animals. Bian Que had to believe it.
He collected Zhu Xiang's measures for preventing and treating water-gu disease, wrote them on bamboo slips, and burned them for his family in the underworld.
Zhu Xiang did not save his family, but he regarded Zhu Xiang as his benefactor.
Because of this, Bian Que wanted to meet Zhu Xiang and become his disciple.
Duke Zhu Xiang was in the south to eliminate snails and prevent plague, so he needed many doctors. He stayed at home for many years to study water-borne disease and only practiced medicine near his hometown. Now he wants to save more people with water-borne disease.
(End of this chapter)