Wei Wuji sat in the study all night, reading Zhu Xiang's letter over and over again.
The retainers were worried about Wei Wuji's health and came to remind him to go to bed several times. Wei Wuji just shook his head and asked for a pot of warm water, which he put on the stove and drank when he felt sleepy.
On the second day, Pingyang Jun Zhao Bao learned that Wei Wuji had stayed up all night, so he hurried to look for Wei Wuji, holding up the corner of his robe.
He was still waiting for Wei Wuji to become prime minister in Zhao State. What would he do if something happened to Wei Wuji
Wei Wuji saw Pingyang Jun Zhao Bao running in, holding the letter from Zhu Xiang in one hand and looking up at Zhao Bao.
Zhao Bao looked at the fire in Wei Wuji's eyes, and the words of concern stuck in his throat.
What did Duke Xiang of Zhu write in the letter that made Lord Xinling suddenly regain his spirits and energy to the state he was in before the King of Wei suspected him
"Zhu Xiang asked me to guard the border for the State of Zhao." Wei Wuji seemed to understand the doubts in Zhao Bao's mind, and said with a mixture of anger and laughter.
Zhao Bao was shocked: "What?!"
Wei Wuji lowered his head and looked at the words on the letter paper.
The honey candle has burned out, but the daylight has come out and I can still see myself clearly on the letter paper.
"Zhu Xiang said that no matter who will rule the world in the future, there will always be people guarding the border to resist the southward invasion of the Hu people. This is not for any particular country, but for the entire China." Wei Wuji lowered his head and said, "He really dares to say that."
Zhao Bao was surprised for a long time, and stammered: "This, this... Duke Zhu Xiang is really... Lord Xinling, don't take it to heart!"
Zhao Bao didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He was not involved in the incident, but he actually felt embarrassed.
Let the prince of Wei guard the border for Zhao? Even if it was the prince of Zhao, he would not go to such a cold and miserable place at the border.
Wei Wuji did not raise his head, as if he was asking a question, or as if he was talking to himself: "I am in Handan, at least I have no worries about food and clothing, and I can afford to support a nobleman with 3,000 retainers. If I go to the three northern counties of Zhao, I am afraid that most of my retainers will disperse."
Wei Wuji's retainer beside Zhao Bao looked calm and did not answer.
"Zhu Xiang is indeed a commoner. He has never considered these things." Wei Wuji sighed, folded the letter carefully and put it into the envelope. "Pingyang Jun, don't you think so?"
Zhao Bao sighed and did not answer.
Although he agreed with Wei Wuji's words, Zhu Xiang was now a great sage in the world, and a great sage who was almost killed by King Zhao and forced to flee. He dared not say anything bad about Zhu Xiang, even in private.
Wei Wuji stood up, straightened his crown, and smoothed out the wrinkles on his clothes: "Prepare the carriage, I want to enter the palace."
Zhao Bao's eyes lit up. Has Lord Xinling finally agreed to be the Prime Minister of Zhao
Wei Wuji's retainers replaced the servants and personally prepared a carriage for Wei Wuji.
The guests in Wei Wuji's courtyard, who were either silent or as drunk as Wei Wuji, all started to move as if they had been awakened.
Lord Xinling, who was already over seventy years old, put his hands in his sleeves, chuckled and shook his head.
"Mr. Hou, do you think the young master wants to be the prime minister or go to the north?" Behind him, Zhu Hai, the warrior who was recommended by him to follow Wei Wuji, asked curiously, holding a long sword.
After Hou Ying was impressed by Xinling Jun and became his retainer, he recommended the butcher Zhu Hai to Xinling Jun, but Zhu Hai never responded to Xinling Jun.
It was not until the coalition forces of five countries resisted the Qin State and Xinling Jun became the commander-in-chief of the coalition forces that Zhu Hai repaid Xinling Jun's kindness, went to the battlefield with Xinling Jun, and made considerable contributions.
Although Hou Ying was old, he accompanied Xinling Jun as his aide.
When Xinling Jun's military power was taken away and he had no choice but to flee to Zhao State, the two of them also came to Zhao State together.
"That depends on the status of Duke Zhu Xiang in the Lord Father's heart." Hou Ying said slowly, "Do you want to stay in Handan, or go to guard the border?"
Zhu Hai said, "I only have my own martial arts to serve you. If you stay in Handan, I will be of no use to you. If you go to the north, I will be useful to you. But I'm afraid your health can't stand the bitter cold in the north."
Hou Ying rolled his eyes at Zhu Hai and said, "We also lived in the county town when we went to the north. Isn't there any old man in Yanmen County who has a long life?"
Zhu Hai raised his eyebrows. It seems that Lord Hou wants to go to the north.
However, many of Xinling Jun's followers came for wealth and fame. If Xinling Jun really went to guard the border, how many people would follow him
Zhu Hai thought about it, but finally he was too lazy to think about it, as he was going anyway.
I heard that there are many cattle and sheep in Yanmen County, so maybe he can show off his butchering skills.
Zhu Xiang and Li Mu traveled to the southern border of Wu County and happened to rescue a caravan from bandits.
Li Mu bent his bow and killed, Zhu Xiang cheered from behind
Li Mu's arrow almost deflected and pierced the leg of Zhu Xiang's horse.
After leading the bandits away, Li Mu laughed and scolded: "Even if you don't want to help, at least don't bother me."
Zhu Xiang smiled and said, "I am cheering for you, how can that be called interference?"
The leader of the caravan bowed and thanked Zhu Xiang and Li Mu.
Zhu Xiang dressed up as a businessman, wearing a turban on his head to cover his conspicuous hair, looking nothing like a person from the Central Plains; Li Mu dressed up as a knight-errant. As a native of Zhao, he had seen many knights-errant, and with his casual temperament, no one believed him if he said he was a Qin soldier.
The people Li Mu brought this time were half Qin soldiers and half Zhao veterans. The Qin soldiers were also led astray by these Zhao veterans and acted like a real soldier.
Ingenious strategies often require acting skills. As Li Mu's personal soldier, how could he not have some acting talent
As for Xiang He and Xu Ming, they just acted like themselves.
Their acting skills were so good that the caravan leader did not discover the true identities of Zhu Xiang and others. He just stared at Zhu Xiang's headscarf for a few seconds, thinking that this strange headscarf looked quite nice after looking at it for a long time. He wondered how it would sell.
The merchant was a Yue person, doing business from Yue to Chu. He could speak Chu dialect, but his accent was a bit heavy.
Zhu Xiang could also speak Chu dialect, but it was still difficult for him to understand it.
But Zhu Xiang was used to this kind of thing. He could happily chat with the merchants by just making gestures.
Merchants sold Dongzhu from Yue to Chu in exchange for lacquerware, and then brought the lacquerware back to Yue to sell to the nobles.
The nobles of Chu and Yue both loved luxury. The sea pearls of Yue and the lacquerware of Chu were both favorites of each other's nobles.
As soon as Zhu Xiang heard the main item the other party was selling, he knew that this person was definitely supported by the nobles.
Most of the exquisite lacquerware of the Chu State were produced by official kilns; there are no large-scale pearl farms now, and pearl harvesting is time-consuming, labor-intensive and life-consuming, and it is definitely controlled by the nobles.
Although Lü Buwei had also come across these luxury goods when he was hoarding them, he could only do resale business. However, this merchant was doing first-hand business, and Zhu Xiang immediately saw the power behind him.
Zhu Xiang thought for a moment, dismounted and said with a smile: "What a coincidence, I brought people south this time to observe the market transactions in Zhuyue, and I also want to do the business of Dongzhu."
When the businessman saw that Zhu Xiang was surrounded by so many capable people, he knew that the person behind Zhu Xiang was definitely not a simple person, so he revealed a little bit of his background neatly.
When he saw that Zhu Xiang immediately understood, he knew that he had made the right decision in probing.
The man smiled and said, "My name is Genmao, what's your name? You are my benefactor, I can give you some of the Dongzhu."
Zhu Xiang cupped his hands and said, "My name is Xia Li."
Li Mu, who was just taking the arrows that his subordinates had pulled from the bandits, wiping them and putting them back into the quiver, suddenly felt his hand tremble and he gave Zhu Xiang a speechless look.
"You can just call me Xia Li." Zhu Xiang introduced enthusiastically, "This is my brother, his name is Xia Ze."
Li Mu: “…” The pseudonym they agreed on before doesn’t seem to be this? Never mind, maybe Zhu Xiang forgot and can just use a friend’s name temporarily.
Li Mu clasped his fists towards the merchant, then continued to clean the arrows.
He didn't know what Zhu Xiang had forgotten, so he had to re-write it, saying less and making fewer mistakes.
Zhu Xiang said, "I'm taking the liberty of calling you Brother Genmao. Brother Genmao, do you know that there is a new kind of cloth called cotton in Qin?"
Genmao's eyes lit up, and he said hurriedly, "No, no, benefactor, just call me Genmao. This cotton... Could it be that the benefactor is from Qin?"
Zhu Xiang said mysteriously: "I am a Chu person, but when doing business, I can be a Qin person."
Genmao understood immediately. It was said that the Chu royal family had great influence in the Qin court, and this person might be a member of the Chu royal family who was married to the King of Qin.
"I went south this time just to see if there are any nobles in the south who can buy Qin cotton. I only brought a few pieces of cotton cloth as a gift." Zhu Xiang said in embarrassment, "Although Dongzhu is good, the cotton cloth I brought is not enough."
Genmao immediately said, "All the nobles of Yue are descendants of the King of Yue, how can they not afford Qin cotton? But I don't know whether the nobles like this cotton or not."
Zhu Xiang smiled and said, "Genmao, since you often come into contact with nobles from Zhuyue, you probably know some of their preferences? I will give you a horse..."
Genmao quickly stopped him: "Don't say that, benefactor. You saved my life, and I'm here to protect you. How can I accept anything? If you are willing, I can exchange Dongzhu for cloth."
Zhu Xiang said, "Whether to change or not, let's see first."
Zhu Xiang waved his hand and had someone open the carriage and take out a piece of snow-white cotton cloth.
He did not dye the cotton at all, allowing it to show his original color and touch.
When Genmao saw this batch of unremarkable cotton cloth, he immediately showed a look of surprise.
Before he touched it, he could visually feel the softness of the cotton, as if it were woven from wool.
In later times, woolen fabrics were unearthed in tombs in the south during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. The ancients did not only use fur, but also twisted animal hair into yarn to make clothes. However, because there was no large-scale breeding, clothing made of animal hair was very precious.
Genmao had heard that cotton grew from the ground, similar to hemp. How could a cloth made from a plant grown from the ground look as soft as a cloth made from precious animal hair
Genmao said in disbelief: "Can I touch it?"
Zhu Xiang said: "Of course."
After Genmao washed his hands, he wiped the water droplets on his hands with silk and gently stroked them on cotton cloth.
The soft touch makes Genmao unable to put it down.
"It really looks like cloth woven from the wool from sheep's stomachs," Genmao exclaimed in admiration.
Zhu Xiang chuckled: "You're overpraising me."
Cotton is certainly inferior to cashmere, but it is indeed very comfortable. In later generations, there are many synthetic high-end fabrics, but people still choose cotton for their underwear.
The texture of the cloth woven by today's looms may not be as good as that of later generations, but in this era, it is also intoxicating enough.
Silk is good, but it is too thin. When it is cold, it is always uncomfortable to wear silk.
What's more, Yue is rich in silk, and the nobles are tired of wearing it.
"Genmao, will the Yue nobles like this cloth?" Zhu Xiang said with a proud smile.
Genmao's eyes revealed greed: "I like it, of course I like it."
Zhu Xiang said: "Now only the Qin people know how to grow and weave cotton."
Genmao said, "I wonder if cotton can be grown in Yue land? I can exchange a box of Dongzhu, which is as heavy as a person, for cotton seeds."
Zhu Xiang smiled and shook his head: "I don't know how to farm, I only know how to do business, how do I know if I can grow cotton? Even if I can, I'm too lazy to sell cotton seeds. When you go to Qin, just give the farmers some money and they will sell it to you."
Zhu Xiang stroked the cotton cloth and said, "Cotton cloth, like silk, is also divided into different grades. I only sell cotton cloth for noble people to wear."
Li Mu looked up at Zhu Xiang again, then lowered his head and began to wipe the knife.
After using a knife on the battlefield, Li Mu could no longer use a sword when it was necessary to take action.
Genmao put away the greed in his eyes and said with a smile: "Indeed. Alas, my benefactor doesn't even look down on a box of Dongzhu."
"If the business is successful, there will be more than a box of Dongzhu." Zhu Xiang shook his head, "So there are things that farmers can do but I can't. Genmao, you should understand. The principles that businessmen like us have to follow are the same as those of officials, which are different from other businessmen."
Genmao put away the smile on his face and looked at Zhu Xiang deeply.
Li Mu immediately pulled Zhu Xiang, protected him behind him, and looked at Genmao with a frown.
The personal soldiers behind him immediately drew their swords.
Genmao immediately cupped his hands: "Don't be nervous, benefactor, I have no ill intentions."
Li Mu said calmly: "You'd better not have it."
Zhu Xiang poked his head from behind Li Mu and said, "I've heard that the Yue people are fierce and vicious. My brother is a little too worried. Since we are your benefactors, you will definitely not have any evil intentions just because of a few pieces of cloth."
Genmao said quickly: "Of course. But now the Yue people are on guard against the Qin people. If the benefactor works for the Qin people, I am afraid..."
Zhu Xiang said: "It is precisely because the Yue people are on guard against the Qin people that I think the nobles of the Yue people should be more willing to do business with me."
He smiled and said, "If you don't believe me, why don't you send someone back to ask? I'll also send someone back to get more cloth of different colors. I'll take the Dongzhu you sold."
Genmao pondered for a long time and asked, "Xia Li is a pseudonym, right?"
Zhu Xiang asked curiously, "Why do you say that?"
Genmao asked, "Are you Lü Buwei?"
Li Mu was a little nervous at first, but after hearing what Genmao said, he gave Genmao a "contemptuous" look.
Zhu Xiang didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "I'm not Lu Gong. But I do have some connection with Lu Gong. I got my goods from Lu Gong. Although Lu Gong was exiled, he is still the prince of Qin's man. Would he stand here and chat with you calmly?"
Li Mu: “Heh.”
Genmao felt a little embarrassed looking at Li Mu's sarcastic expression.
He forgot that although Lu Buwei was famous as a businessman, he had been a high-ranking official in the Qin State for a long time and was also a disciple of the Qin Crown Prince. He probably regarded himself as a nobleman and disdained to do business himself.
Genmao was very envious. Who wouldn't want to be the second Lu Buwei? They were a group of merchants who did business for the nobles, and they all wanted to be rewarded with an official position by their master, so that they could be transformed from merchants into scholars.
After receiving the information, Genmao did not agree immediately. He invited Zhu Xiang to go to the town ahead to rest and talk about business slowly.
Zhu Xiang was not afraid at all and stepped into the territory of Zhu Yue.
Li Mu originally wanted to tie Zhu Xiang back, but seeing that Zhu Xiang seemed to have something important to do, he believed Zhu Xiang and entered the city of Dongyue with Zhu Xiang. He only sent someone to pass the message to Wang Jian, asking Wang Jian to come to rescue at any time.
Xu Minghe and Xianghe seemed to be hesitant to speak.
The Lord of Changping and the general of Qin State led such a small number of people into the enemy's city? Duke Zhu Xiang was still as courageous as when he went to Changping.
But, is this necessary? Li Mu also wanted to ask.
Zhu Xiang was surprised: "Dangerous? How could it be dangerous?"
Li Mu was helpless: "You are in the enemy's territory, isn't it dangerous?"
After the death of the King of Yue, no successor was appointed, so the various Yue tribes split up and each ruled their own territories, and no one was willing to submit to the other, thus forming a tribal system.
Two groups of descendants of the King of Yue gradually became powerful and established Dong'ou and Minyue respectively. They built cities along the coastline and encouraged farming. The city they are in now belongs to Dong'ou.
The fight that Li Mu wanted to provoke was also between Dong'ou and Minyue.
Only after taking over Wujun did Li Mu sort out the affairs of Yue.
The Yue State was a descendant of Dayu, and was originally a legitimate vassal state of the Zhou Dynasty. Although it was broken up in the war with the Chu State and now integrated with the local people, it is not considered barbarians in terms of origin... No, the Chu State was barbarians, so of course the Yue people were barbarians too.
Li Mu sent many people to inquire about the news in Yue, especially to sort out the disputes among the tribal nobles in Yue.
Although Li Mu entered Qin semi-voluntarily, he was actually tricked by a plot to sow discord.
In addition, he had a friend like Cai Ze who was good at using the strategy of sowing discord, so Li Mu also began to be interested in this strategy rooted in the court.
Now the Qin State did not have the time to destroy the Yue territory, but in the future his ambitious disciple would definitely send a large army to wipe out the Yue and return all the southern territory to the Qin State. So he used a strategy of sowing discord to sow discord among the Yue.
However, the Yue people were relatively isolated, and although Li Mu had determined the basic strategy, he did not have a deep understanding of it.
Since he didn't know much about it, Li Mu naturally thought it was dangerous.
"Even if it's not dangerous, why did you come here?" Li Mu asked, "Aren't you here to instruct on farming? How did you become a businessman?"
Zhu Xiang said, "Yue also has a lot of land."
Li Mu glanced at Zhu Xiang without saying anything.
Zhu Xiang raised his hands in surrender and said, "Well, I just went with the flow. When I was guiding Wujun in farming, I met many people from Dongou. The culture here is similar to Wujun, especially the scholars, who yearn for the civilization of the Central Plains and want to return to the time when Yue was still a vassal."
Li Mu crossed his arms and asked, "Do you want to try to persuade the King of Dong'ou to let Dong'ou return to Qin?"
Zhu Xiang said: "It's not about returning to Qin, but just establishing friendly relations with Qin, letting them know how powerful Qin is. By the way, I will help them with farming."
Li Mu was extremely helpless: "You went to help the enemy farm?"
Zhu Xiang said: "Only farming can make them settle down. After settling down, they will build cities, so that their troops can be concentrated near the cities. If they continue to rely on fishing and hunting, I am afraid they will pay a heavy price when the Qin army marches south."
Zhu Xiang paused, sighed, and continued, "If civilians don't settle down, they won't have the opportunity to communicate with people outside, and they won't know what life is like in Qin. If they become farmers bound to the ground like in the Central Plains, then Qin can just take over a piece of land as it did in the Central Plains. Maybe... maybe both sides will suffer fewer casualties."
If the Yue people were still fishing and hunting, then when faced with the Qin people whose customs were completely different from their own, they would only retreat into the mountains and forests and deal with the Qin people as soldiers.
But with assets, they will be cautious and might surrender when the Qin army arrives.
After listening to Zhu Xiang's words, Li Mu automatically replaced the Yue people with the Hu people in his mind.
Well, it is true as Zhu Xiang said, if the Hu people settled in the city, he would have destroyed them long ago. The Hu people are not necessarily very strong, they are just too fast.
"You..." Li Mu thought for a long time and didn't know what to say.
But if he didn't say it, he would feel depressed.
Zhu Xiang smiled and said, "But it does make me sad to see such good land not being cultivated."
Li Mu held his forehead with his hand.
Zhu Xiang spread his hands: "You know, this is my nature."
The core area of Dong'ou Kingdom is the Zhejiang area in later generations.
This is a traditional land of fish and rice, and even during the Stone Age, cities of considerable size were discovered here.
Your Yue State was once listed as one of the candidates for the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period. Now you have become barbarians who make a living by fishing and hunting. Are you happy
Anyway, Zhu Xiang believed that people in Zhejiang in the future would raise their middle fingers.
You could at least go back a few hundred years and become the Kingdom of Yue again. How did you become a tribal system
Dong'ou and Minyue inherited the civilization of Yue State and claimed to be the legitimate descendants of Yue State. They were vassal states of Zhou and were no different from the Seven Kingdoms of the Warring States Period.
That's why Zhu Xiang thought that he might come here and find an unexpected surprise.
He didn't really think he was in danger.
Dong'ou is now doing business with the Qin army, and the battle is going on vigorously. According to Li Mu, the self-proclaimed King of Dong'ou even believes that he has formed an alliance with Qin.
Even though he was just an "official businessman" of the Qin State, King Dong'ou would be respectful to him when he got the news.
If he lifted his turban and said he was Zhu Xiang, King Dong'ou would probably kneel down and invite him to sit in the seat of honor.
Zhu Xiang understood very well the attitude of people of that era towards great sages, especially the Yue people who were once princes but now fell to the status of "barbarians". They would be even more respectful towards great sages, fearing that the Central Plains civilization would look down on them.
The Qin State was also trembling with fear back then.
However, Zhu Xiang's understanding of how Dong'ou Kingdom would treat him did not come from Qin, but from his previous life.
This was the attitude of foreign officials towards "Chinese experts" when he went abroad to guide farming.
I heard from the old professor that China once treated foreign experts in the same way.
Zhu Xiang went south and saw that Zhejiang had such good land, but they had left it barren except for some sparse mulberry trees and rice. He was really furious.
Go fishing, go hunting, go farming!
Min Yue is very mountainous, so they can’t do anything about it. But it’s different for you Dong Ou!
Anyway, there will be no danger. Exposing his identity will only make the other king kneel humbly at his feet and call him "Duke Zhu Xiang". Zhu Xiang will of course seize the opportunity to let them plant the fields.
If they planted enough fields, it would be easier for Li Mu to raise his soldiers.
The grain of Dong'ou is Li Mu's grain.
After Zhu Xiang finished telling about his plan, Li Mu couldn't let go of his hand that was resting on his forehead.
He smiled bitterly and said, "When I went south with you, Wang Jian wondered if I had any big moves, and I said no. Now he asks, do you think I have?"
Zhu Xiang patted Li Mu on the shoulder and said, "I just helped Dong'ou country to grow some crops, and then negotiated with them to exchange cotton cloth for their silk, pearls and food. What's the big deal?"
Dong'ou has always been on Zhu Xiang's "trade war" plan.
After the textile workshops were built, they would tempt the Chu State to grow cotton. Once the Chu State could provide a large amount of cotton, the textile machines would be fully operational.
Cloth is now a hard currency, accepted in all countries. Cotton is of higher quality and more valuable than linen.
People at that time had no concept of economics, and they did not know what it meant to have excessive currency issuance leading to inflation. So the Qin State could use cotton cloth to harvest the enemy's supplies.
Dong'ou was very poor, very far from the fairyland, and too close to the Qin State. When Zhu Xiang wanted to buy supplies with cotton cloth, he first targeted Dong'ou.
The products from the south are rare to the people in the Central Plains. After conquering Dong'ou, Li Mu's ships will be able to monopolize the southern specialties and reap the money in the pockets and the grain in the granaries of the Central Plains nobles.
Fortunately, this trade war is not too bloody. Because cotton cloth can be used to make clothes, unlike coins, which cannot be eaten or worn.
As long as Zhu Xiang innovates the local farming technology, the impact on the common people will not be particularly great.
However, after Zhu Xiang toured the Dong'ou Kingdom, he sighed.
He thinks too much.
There were no common people in Dongou State. It was still a slave state. No matter how much cloth he brought in or how much grain the land produced, people who were supposed to starve to death would still starve to death.
Fortunately, it is difficult for people to freeze to death in the south.
After Zhu Xiang wandered around the more prosperous city of Dong'ou State, the confusion in his heart disappeared.
At least we can have some feudal system. Zhu Xiang put his hands behind his back, looked at the slave owner's luxurious carriage, and sighed deeply.
The slave owner raised his whip high, and the cart was pulled not by horses but by slaves with numb faces.
These slaves were wearing more fitted clothes and looked much better than the "commoners" kneeling on the ground.
The whole market seemed to be thriving, but after the slave owner arrived, he took whatever he wanted and no one dared to stop him.
But the other party was sensible and only took things from the locals' stalls.
Although the businessman dressed in foreign clothes was kneeling on the ground, he raised his head and looked at everything coldly with disdain in his eyes.
Even businessmen could not tolerate the barbaric behavior of these slave owners.
Even in the capitals of the Seven Kingdoms, princes and nobles would pay for things when they came to the market.
When Zhu Xiang returned to the inn where he was staying, Li Mu told him that the King of Dong'ou wanted to see him.
That Genmao was actually the "King Shang" who was directly under the King of Dong'ou.
"No wonder he can do business with Dongzhu directly." Zhu Xiang said, "Li Mu, do you think I should meet him as Zhu Xiang or as a subordinate of Lu Buwei?"
Li Mu's mouth twitched slightly: "Save some energy for me."
Zhu Xiang laughed.
On the second day, Zhu Xiang changed his clothes, got on a carriage, and headed to the capital of King Dong'ou.
And Wang Jian was waiting for him at the gate of the royal city.
King Dong'ou stood beside Wang Jian, at a loss as to what to do.
Wang Jian clasped his fists with a dark face: "Lord Changping, please be careful. If anything happens to you, how will I explain to you?"
Zhu Xiang turned to Li Mu and said, "Look, it's not that I don't give you peace of mind, it's Wang Jian who exposed me."
Li Mu: “Haha.”
He was the one who specially asked Wang Jian to come.
King Dong'ou looked at Zhu Xiang with a cloth wrapped on his head and stammered for a long time, unable to utter a word.
Finally, he bowed deeply to Zhu Xiang and said loudly in an elegant accent: "I, I pay my respects to Duke Zhu Xiang!"
Although he was not recognized by the King of Zhou, his status was equivalent to that of a feudal lord of Qin.
Zhu Xiang and King Dong'ou returned the greetings and said with a wry smile, "I am not teasing you on purpose, I just don't want to reveal my identity. Alas, your land here is all barren, it makes me sad to see it."
King Dong'ou straightened up with an expression of great shock.
Zhu Xiang cupped his hands and said, "If you don't mind, can you listen to me and leave the farming and sericulture matters to me for the time being?"
King Dong'ou: "..."
The people behind King Dong'ou: "..."
Zhu Xiang said, "I really can't bear to see you leave the land that can produce food uncultivated."
Li Mu's shoulders trembled slightly, but he tried hard to hold it back.
Wang Jian hesitated to speak, gave his general an indescribable look, and then sighed deeply.
The King of Dong'ou stuttered again: "Duke Zhu Xiang, you disguised yourself as a merchant to see me, is this why?"
Zhu Xiang said earnestly, "Yue was once one of the most powerful vassal states in the Zhou Dynasty. It was a prosperous civilization that was even well-known in the Central Plains. Today, I observed that Yue has even become a wasteland. It is really sad. If I have offended you, please forgive me, Lord Dong'ou."
Zhu Xiang did not call him the King of Dong'ou. The King of Dong'ou had named himself king, and Zhu Xiang, the Lord of Changping of Qin, could not recognize him.
He called the other party Lord Dong'ou, which was already very respectful to him and regarded him as the real king who legally controlled this area.
This is just like when the King of Chu proclaimed himself king, the history books of other countries mentioned the King of Chu by referring to that low-ranking title which was very humiliating to him.
After all, the King of Dong'ou was indeed a descendant of the King of Yue, so he had no objection to this.
After hearing Zhu Xiang's words, he dared not agree nor disagree.
The pressure from Zhu Xiang on him was much greater than that from Li Mu, the famous killer general.
As for Li Mu, if he was not convinced, he would just fight him.
But as for Zhu Xiang, he was afraid that if he said something wrong, the news would spread to the Central Plains, and those people would say that the Kingdom of Yue had indeed perished, and that the descendants of the King of Yue had all become true barbarians, who did not even know propriety, righteousness, integrity and shame, and actually treated the world's great sages with indifference.
Even he had heard that the King of Zhao almost lost his country because of his poor treatment of Duke Xiang of Zhao. His Dong'ou State was far inferior to the State of Zhao.
King Dong'ou has a headache now.
Why would this great sage disguise himself as a businessman to meet him? Was it really because the land of Dong'ou State was barren
Is this reasonable?!
After King Dong'ou respectfully invited Zhu Xiang to board the luxurious carriage, he himself sat in the carriage feeling uneasy and complained to the important ministers around him.
The important officials around him said excitedly: "Why not? This is Duke Zhu Xiang!"
King Dongou: “?”
The important official who had been silent just now was now trembling in his voice: "It is said in the Central Plains that Duke Zhu Xiang cultivated the land for the people of the world. The land he cultivated increased grain production by more than double, and countless people were saved! Didn't Duke Zhu Xiang say that? In his eyes, our Dong'ou is the former Yue State. Duke Zhu Xiang regarded the Yue people as the people of the world, and he couldn't bear to see the fields of Yue State go barren, so he came to Yue State!"
King Dong'ou: "Ah... but why did you come here secretly?"
The important officials beat their chests and stamped their feet: "This shows that Duke Zhu Xiang is a noble man! He wanted to come to see the king secretly, and then hide his identity to give advice to the king! After all, he is the Lord of Changping, how can he serve another country? It's a pity that the Qin people refused and insisted on exposing it. Alas."
King Dongou was even more confused: "The Qin people are unwilling? But the Qin people don't look like they want to dissuade Duke Zhu Xiang."
The important official said, "That's because when the Qin general wanted to take him away, Duke Zhu Xiang said he wanted to help Yue to cultivate the land! After all, Duke Zhu Xiang is the Lord of Changping, and his status is higher than the Qin general. Now the King of Qin is far away in Xianyang, and Duke Zhu Xiang has the power to decide his own behavior. Alas, by doing this, he has created a rift between him and the Qin general."
The important official wiped away his tears and said, "No wonder the King of Zhao wanted to kill Duke Zhu Xiang. Duke Zhu Xiang was not just after one country and one king, he really cared about the world."
King Dong'ou: “…” Why are you talking about King Zhao again
He wanted to scratch his head, but when his hand touched his hair, he put it down awkwardly.
In order to meet Duke Xiang of Zhu, he specially dressed in the traditional clothes of the Yue State, like spreading his clothes and letting his hair down.
The bun is tied too tightly and my scalp is itchy.
"So, Duke Zhu Xiang really came here to farm?" King Dong'ou murmured, "And he even created a rift with the Qin generals because of this?"
Are there really such people
In another carriage, Zhu Xiang said to Wang Jian, "Don't be so stern. Smile."
Wang Jian: “Haha.”
Zhu Xiang: “…” It’s over. I can’t coax her for the time being.
(End of this chapter)