Li Mu and Wang Jian reached a consensus on having Zhu Xiang beaten.
Zhu Xiang was already on his way to the Dong'ou Palace. No matter how upset they were, they could do nothing about it. They could only comfort themselves by thinking about how Zhu Xiang would be beaten later.
Wang Jian looked at Li Mu with resentment in his eyes. He thought that he would no longer be able to respectfully address Li Mu as "General Li".
Once Li Mu got involved with Zhu Xiang, his behavior became particularly outrageous.
Most people would carry Zhu Xiang away if they encountered such a thing. Why did you follow Zhu Xiang's temper
Li Mu looked at Wang Jian calmly.
Wang Jian looked away silently. It was Li Mu who had done something wrong, so why was he the one who was embarrassed
Seeing that the atmosphere was not right, Zhu Xiang quickly took the lead and guided Li Mu and Wang Jian to talk about the past of Yue State.
During the Spring and Autumn Period, the core territory of the Yue State was in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas.
Jin and Chu fought for hegemony. Jin supported Wu and Chu supported Yue, which made Wu and Yue gradually stronger. Yue entered its most prosperous period with the rise of Gou Jian, King of Yue. One of the versions of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period recorded in history books at that time included Gou Jian, King of Yue.
Even in the early Warring States period, when Yue experienced the "three murders of its king by the Yue people", Yue was still strong. At that time, even Qi was afraid of Yue. When King Wujiang of Yue attacked Qi, they sent envoys to tell King Wujiang of Yue that Chu was weaker and they should attack Chu.
King Wujiang of Yue really believed it and turned his troops to attack Chu, but was defeated by King Wei of Chu and was killed. Qi took the opportunity to send troops to defeat the Yue army in Xuzhou.
The State of Yue fell apart at this point, and its territory shrunk from the border with the State of Qi to southern Zhejiang, and was even driven to the farther area of Fujian, where it merged with the local indigenous people.
When it comes to war, Li Mu and Wang Jian talk a lot.
Li Mu couldn't understand: "War is not a joke. Since we are sending troops, there are only two outcomes: advance or retreat. Why would we change our goals midway?"
Fighting a war is not just about generals and soldiers going out to fight. In addition to logistics, intelligence gathering is also crucial. The terrain and climate of the battlefield, the strength of the enemy generals and soldiers, whether there are reinforcements... any subtle details may determine the outcome of a battle.
Although there were cases where a country was destroyed after getting lost, that was an absolute crushing of power. Did the Kingdom of Yue think that it crushed the Kingdom of Chu? During the reign of King Wei of Chu, the Kingdom of Chu was at its peak, right
Wang Jian couldn't understand: "Even if we want to attack Chu, we should concentrate our forces. Why would the King of Yue divide his forces in Xuzhou?"
When King Wujiang of Yue attacked Chu, he left a force in Qi, but was defeated by Qi. The Chu army was so powerful that even if Yue put all its strength into it, it would be hard to defeat it. Wang Jian racked his brains but could not figure out the reason why King Wujiang of Yue split his forces.
Zhu Xiang said, "I don't understand wars. I just can't understand why he, who already has several grown sons, would personally lead an army to fight a dangerous war and not appoint a crown prince, which would lead to the lack of successors and the disintegration of his descendants. He is really confident."
When Zhu Xiang finished saying this, he suddenly thought of Qin Shi Huang, who traveled the world at an old age (49 was not considered young in ancient times) and never thought that he would die on the road and have no successor. Perhaps it is a common problem for monarchs to be overconfident.
Zheng Er, who was in Wucheng, sneezed loudly, and Xue Ji hurried to add more clothes for Ying Xiaozheng. Ying Xiaozheng was too hot to wear any more clothes, so he ran away, and the two of them circled in the yard.
The three of them complained about King Yue's outrageous actions and lamented about King Yue Wujiang's train of thought.
Facts are even more illogical than fiction. No novelist would write about such a stupid king.
It is really sad and lamentable that such a huge country as Yue was destroyed in an instant because of the evil actions of its king, and it degenerated from one of the famous vassal states of China to the southern barbarians.
At that time, Wu and Yue were both recognized as part of the Nine Provinces (China in a narrow sense). Yangzhou was recorded in the ancient Nine Provinces in "Yu Gong".
"Our ancestors were wealthy" is a heart-wrenching pain for their descendants.
Zhu Xiang, Li Mu and Wang Jian said that the King of Yue was stupid in the carriage, but when they arrived at the palace, Zhu Xiang changed his words and only mentioned the former glory of Yue State, without mentioning the pain of Yue State.
He came here to make friends with Dong'ou, not to make enemies.
King Dong'ou humbly welcomed Zhu Xiang to the palace and repeatedly asked Zhu Xiang to take the seat, but Zhu Xiang repeatedly declined.
After that, although the King of Dong'ou no longer forced Zhu Xiang, he still sat very close to him to show that he treated Zhu Xiang equally.
Wang Jian only knew Zhu Xiang's free and easy side. Now seeing that Zhu Xiang was so well-mannered, he had the illusion that he was a great scholar, and he couldn't help but be surprised.
He glanced at Li Mu's expression. Li Mu remained calm and seemed to be used to this side of Zhu Xiang.
Wang Jian thought to himself that it seemed that he didn't know Zhu Xiang well enough.
Zhu Xiang was at least a disciple of Xunzi who was taught by him personally with a ruler. Although Xunzi's disciples were not necessarily great Confucian scholars, they were absolutely impeccable in etiquette.
In order to leave a good impression on King Dong'ou, Zhu Xiang tried his best.
It was because he was too energetic that King Dong'ou felt uncomfortable all over. The important officials sitting beside King Dong'ou also felt as if they were bitten by lice all over their bodies, which was very uncomfortable.
Only a few important officials had shining eyes. Their unconcealable fanaticism made even a man as bold as Zhu Xiang unable to help but look away.
A little scary.
Zhu Xiang first used the comprehensive etiquette of the Central Plains to distance himself from the ruler and ministers of Dong'ou, and then he talked attentively about the past of the Kingdom of Yue, praising the King of Yue for his wise behavior, and thus narrowing the distance.
Hearing the great sage praising his ancestors, the young King of Dong'ou, who had just ascended the throne, couldn't help feeling a little elated. He could no longer maintain his formal manners and spoke more casually.
The words and actions of King Dong'ou became "disrespectful". Before Li Mu and Wang Jian could react, the faces of the ministers of Dong'ou changed drastically and they kept reminding King Dong'ou with their eyes.
Zhu Xiang glanced at the Dong'ou officials who kept winking at the King of Dong'ou, and said with a smile: "You and I are of similar age, so there is no need to be too restrictive. I just say that the etiquette of Dong'ou is now very different from that of the Central Plains, so the King of Dong'ou can be more unrestrained."
King Dong'ou could no longer sit upright. After hearing what Zhu Xiang said, he didn't care whether the other party was being polite or not, and his straight back immediately slumped down.
"Thank you, sir. I really am... Oh, it's too hot." King Dong'ou opened his collar a little to reveal the tattoo on his chest, and loosened his crown.
Li Mu and Wang Jian's eyes trembled slightly, and they suppressed the contempt in their eyes.
Even the Qin people looked down upon the tattooed Yue people.
Zhu Xiang didn't feel contemptuous, he even thought it was quite beautiful.
King Dong'ou had been quietly observing Zhu Xiang's expression, and saw that when Zhu Xiang saw his tattoo, he not only did not despise it, but also showed a bit of... appreciation
Is there something wrong with my eyes? King Dongou couldn't believe it.
As a great sage in the Central Plains, shouldn't you despise my tattoos
King Dong'ou tightened his collar, and for some reason, he felt a little embarrassed.
Zhu Xiang didn't notice King Dong'ou's little trick and got down to business.
He asked the King of Dong'ou to bring paper and pen, and the King of Dong'ou brought a brush and silk.
Zhu Xiang took one look at the snow-white silk with fine texture and knew that King Dong'ou was showing off his wealth.
He smiled in his heart, picked up the pen and drew a rough map of the current topography of Dong'ou Kingdom on the silk.
The current sphere of influence of the Dong'ou Kingdom is roughly the three cities of Lishui, Taizhou and Wenzhou in Zhejiang Province in later generations, and its royal palace is located in Wenzhou.
Zhejiang's terrain conditions are not favorable for agricultural cultivation. Later generations said that Zhejiang is "seven parts mountains, one part water, and two parts farmland." This means that the "plains" in Zhejiang that can be used for large-scale agricultural cultivation only account for one-fifth of the area of Zhejiang Province, and most of the rest of the area is hills and mountains.
Zhejiang's major grain-producing areas are three major plains, namely the Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou Plain around Hangzhou and Taihu Lake, the Ningshao Plain around Ningbo and Shaoxing, and the coastal plain around Taizhou and Wenzhou.
Zhejiang has a small amount of arable land, but because of its good water and heat conditions and the lack of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in ancient times, after the Southern Song Dynasty, the grain output in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas has always ranked first in the country.
“If Suzhou and Lake Tai are prosperous, the whole world will be prosperous” includes the Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou Plain and the Ningshao Plain.
After the State of Yue was destroyed by the State of Chu, the Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou Plain and the Ningshao Plain both belonged to the State of Chu, and now belong to Wu County of the State of Qin.
There were many mountains between Ningshao Plain and Taizhou, which became the natural boundary between Chu Army and Baiyue. The descendants of King Yue were able to establish Dongou State in Taizhou, Lishui and Wenzhou.
Dong'ou was afraid of Chu, so it built its capital in Wenzhou, the southernmost part of the country. Wenzhou was surrounded by mountains on three sides. If Chu attacked, it would first have to cross the mountains to attack Taizhou, and then cross a large area of mountains to attack Wenzhou, which was almost impossible in that era. The king of Dong'ou felt that he could rest easy.
But who knew that the Qin army was coming from the sea.
When King Dong'ou saw the simple topographic map drawn by Zhu Xiang, he became nervous.
When he saw Zhu Xiang draw a line with a pen, and the Qin army came to Wenzhou unimpeded from the sea to do business with him, his heart sank even more.
Wang Jian almost laughed out loud. Was Zhu Xiang trying to intimidate the King of Dong'ou
He carefully observed Zhu Xiang's expression and concluded that Zhu Xiang did not intimidate King Dong'ou. He simply told King Dong'ou how much land was available for cultivation in Wenzhou and Taizhou and how they could do business with the Qin State to exchange what they had.
"Although the coastal plain is not as good as the Wujun Plain, it can also produce a lot of grain." Zhu Xiang's eyes showed heartache.
Although the coastal plains of Taizhou and Wenzhou are slightly more salinized than the Ningshao Plain and the Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou Plain, they have also been productive areas since ancient times.
Even in later times, when the Ningshao Plain and the Hangjiahu Plain were more developed, Wenzhou still had at least three counties that were among the top 20 grain-producing counties in Zhejiang. In particular, Yueqing City has always been a top-10 goalkeeper and has never fallen out of the top 15.
The coastal plains of Wenzhou are subdivided into Yueqing Plain, Yongjia Plain, Wenrui Plain, Taoshan Plain, Beigang Plain and Nangang Plain. Although some alluvial plains are not as large as they are in later times, the scattered arable areas are at least more than one thousand square kilometers.
If we can make use of it, Wenzhou can be self-sufficient in food despite its large mountainous areas.
Zhu Xiang said: "When King Gou Jian of Yue was in power, he reformed the land cultivation, changed the bird fields into well fields, built water conservancy projects, and developed agricultural tools. Now, as I have seen along the way, the Dong'ou Plain has turned back into bird fields. It is really heartbreaking."
Niaotian is also known as Niaoyun. Its name comes from a legend of "virtuous governance" in Confucian classics. That is, when Dayu was alive, hundreds of birds plowed the fields for him, so it was called Niaotian.
In reality, bird fields are a primitive way of planting similar to slash-and-burn farming. When there are more birds, farmers attract them to eat weeds and search for insects in the fields, and then loosen the land for sowing. The bird droppings can also be used as fertilizer.
In order to strengthen the country, Gou Jian reformed agricultural production, introduced the well-field system from the Central Plains, and took a big step towards a mature slave system.
Now that the Yue Kingdom has dispersed, most of the Dong'ou people have returned to fishing and hunting, eating fish, clams and snakes, and the well-field system has become "Birds, come and help me plow the fields."
Zhu Xiang really wanted to ask King Dong'ou, the descendant of King Yue, don't you feel sorry for me when I see you
As an outsider, I feel very sad.
He sighed and said, "I heard that the Yue people here do not completely obey your rule. To the west of Dong'ou State, there is a tribal alliance leader who calls himself Xi'ou, who is on par with the King of Dong'ou. How could the Yue State fall to such a state? If the ancient sage Dayu saw that his descendants had fallen to the point where they couldn't even farm, I wonder if he would lament on Mount Kuaiji."
Although the Dong'ou State claimed that its sphere of influence was the area around Taizhou, Lishui and Wenzhou, it actually only governed the coastal plains and islands in the sea. Countless tribes lived in the vast mountainous areas in the west, and they elected tribal alliance leaders to compete for the right to speak.
People in the Central Plains called this tribal alliance the Xiou Tribe.
This was the pain in the heart of the King of Dong'ou, because he did not want to call himself the King of Dong'ou, but the King of Ou.
It’s just like the King of Minyue didn’t want to be the King of Minyue, but instead removed the word “Min” and became the King of Yue.
Now that Zhu Xiang brought up this matter, King Dong'ou felt a little angry and humiliated, but he did not dare to do so.
Even if Zhu Xiang pointed at his nose and scolded him for being useless and making his ancestors cry, he didn't know how to get angry because Zhu Xiang praised Dayu and Gou Jian so highly and confirmed that the Yue people were not barbarians.
We can’t say that our ancestors would not be sad but would even applaud when they saw that the Yue people now couldn’t even farm the land, right
King Dong'ou thought about it and finally said, "I still eat rice."
Zhu Xiang: “…”
Li Mu and Wang Jian: “…”
Dong'ou officials: Your Majesty! If you don't know how to answer, you don't have to answer!
Zhu Xiang sighed and said, "It is because I see that the Lord of Dong'ou and the noble scholars of Dong'ou are still the same as those in the Central Plains that I feel so moved. After the decline of Yue State, many talented scholars of Yue State left Yue State and went to the Central Plains to survive. The people of the Central Plains felt that the prosperity of Qi State and Chu State was due to the reuse of talents from Wu State and Yue State."
Once again, the King of Dong'ou and his ministers had no idea what expressions they had.
They were both proud and sad.
When the Yue Kingdom was prosperous, it made use of talents from the Central Plains. When the Chu Kingdom cut off the connection between the Baiyue and the Central Plains, no more talents from the Central Plains came to the Baiyue. However, the talents of the Baiyue could go to the Chu Kingdom and continue to make progress through the Chu Kingdom.
Many talented people of the Yue State did not want to return to primitive life, so they went to the Central Plains, making it more difficult for the remaining Yue people to preserve their original civilization.
Civilization is fragile, and bamboo slips and bronze vessels are not easy to carry. It is understandable that the Yue State regressed to a tribal system.
After all, the farming techniques of farmers can only be passed down orally, and the books on farming are only held by the government. When the Yue nobles went south, they probably only took gold, silver and jewelry with them, and did not take away the bamboo slips that were in the way.
After Zhu Xiang expressed his regrets to the King of Dong'ou about the decline of the Yue people and the wasteland of the plains of Dong'ou State, he did not ask for an immediate reply from the King of Dong'ou, but took his leave on the pretext that he was tired from the journey.
King Dong'ou had originally prepared a banquet for Zhu Xiang, but when he heard Zhu Xiang say he was not in good spirits, he also felt that Zhu Xiang was not in good spirits, so he canceled the banquet and only had beauties serve Zhu Xiang with delicious food.
Not surprisingly, this great sage was not interested in women and let the beauty leave after they finished eating.
The beauty looked back frequently, her heart broken.
Zhu Xiang didn't expect that as soon as he arrived at the Dong'ou Palace, he became the dream man of many women in the palace.
After Zhu Xiang left, King Dong'ou thought about the two great gods Li Mu and Wang Jian in the palace. Although he was mentally exhausted, he couldn't fall asleep.
He summoned all his ministers to discuss the matter and asked them their opinions on today's events.
The ministers were divided into two camps.
One group believed that the Qin State had always had a bad reputation and that they definitely had no good intentions in coming this time, so they should find an excuse to send these people away as soon as possible.
The other group cursed and asked what the reputation of Qin had to do with Duke Zhu Xiang. Duke Zhu Xiang was sincere and came here solely to guide the Dong'ou State in farming. He did not mention at all what price the Dong'ou State would have to pay. How dare you doubt Duke Zhu Xiang? I will fight you to the death!
The King of Dong'ou, who was finally able to let his hair down and his clothes loose, was so frightened that he quickly got up and tried to stop the fight.
There are not many ministers in Dong'ou State who are proficient in literature and writing. If something happens to these important ministers, who will write documents for them
He couldn't just learn from those barbarians in Xiou and give orders by shouting, right
"Calm down, calm down. Why would I doubt Duke Zhu Xiang? I doubt Li Mu and Wang Jian." Dong'ou King said, "Although Duke Zhu Xiang is wholeheartedly doing good for us, Li Mu and Wang Jian are different."
The important official said angrily: "If Li Mu and Wang Jian want to do something to us, do they need to resort to conspiracy and trickery? Did you see their big ships? They robbed the Minyue people, but the Minyue people dared not even fart!"
King Dong'ou: "..."
The important official rolled up his sleeves and snorted, "I heard from the merchants who went to the south that Qin has the potential to annex the world. The ancestral tombs of Chu were burned by Qin. If Qin really wanted our land, it would definitely send a large army directly to attack us. What conspiracy would it need? They didn't even play any conspiracy against Chu."
King Dong'ou: “…” Why do you feel uncomfortable when hearing this
The important official continued, "If the king wants to resist Qin, he should contact Xiou and Minyue immediately. Only if the Yue people work together can they keep Qin out of the country."
King Dongou sighed, "If the Qin army had already arrived, we might have formed an alliance. But now the Qin army is not making much movement, so I'm afraid they won't agree."
Especially the Xiou tribe, they claimed that they were protected by the mountains, and even if Dongou and Minyue were destroyed, it would have nothing to do with them. It was too difficult to get them to contribute.
Originally there was only one Yue Kingdom, but now it has become Baiyue. No wonder Duke Zhu Xiang would sigh so much.
The important official said: "Since the Baiyue cannot unite now, what else can we do except pretend to be friendly with Qin? With the good intention of Duke Zhu Xiang, we can make Dongou have a good harvest and strengthen the national strength. It will be easier to resist Qin in the future."
King Dong'ou sighed again: "But I can't believe that the Qin people will really help me farm."
Okay, we are back to the topic.
The two factions' important officials quarreled again, and King Dong'ou continued to mediate.
Zhu Xiang left early and insisted on sleeping with Li Mu and Wang Jian, holding his pillow, to share his excessive desire to talk.
The three men spread the hay, wooden boards and brocade from the bedding on the ground and let Zhu Xiang sleep in the middle and talk nonsense.
Zhu Xiang: "They must be arguing loudly now!"
Wang Jian: "What are they arguing about? You are helping them out of good intentions, but they are not happy about it?"
Zhu Xiang: "They think I am a weasel paying New Year's greetings to a chicken, and I have no good intentions!"
Li Mu: “Yeah.”
Wang Jian: "What? A weasel would pay New Year's greetings to a chicken?"
Zhu Xiang: "Actually, I really didn't have any bad intentions. I never thought that after his harvest, the food-deficient Minyue and Xiou would come to rob him."
Li Mu: “Huh…Huh…”
Wang Jian: "Then I will go and rob Minyue!"
Zhu Xiang and Wang Jian chatted until dawn, and Li Mu slept soundly throughout the night amid the noisy noise.
When they woke up the next day, Zhu Xiang and Wang Jian looked a little depressed, but Li Mu was full of energy.
Zhu Xiang looked at Li Mu with resentment. We agreed to have a night talk, but you slept alone. If I had known I would have kicked you a few times to wake you up.
Li Mu asked: "If you are not in good spirits, why don't you sleep for a while?"
Wang Jian shook his head: "I'll go wash my face and I'll feel refreshed."
After he said that, he took a cold shower and indeed became energetic again.
Perhaps all generals have this ability to wake up immediately, otherwise it would be difficult to launch a night attack.
Only Zhu Xiang was still in low spirits.
The King of Dong'ou was also in low spirits. Seeing Zhu Xiang, who was also in low spirits, he asked, "Did Lord Zhu Xiang not sleep well? Did he not serve you well?"
Zhu Xiang forced a smile and said, "No. It's just that I can't sleep when I think about missing the farming time."
The eyes of the important officials behind King Dong'ou lit up again.
This is Duke Zhu Xiang!
King Dongou said with a stiff upper lip: "I admire Duke Zhu Xiang's kindness. But... but... alas, some of my ministers do not trust Qin."
Zhu Xiang said: "I understand Lord Dong'ou's concerns. Lord Dong'ou can send someone to protect me."
Seeing that the King of Dong'ou was still hesitant, Zhu Xiang said, "Apart from helping Dong'ou to cultivate the land, I will not ask for any benefits. Qin will not ask for anything either."
King Dong'ou was extremely surprised: "This... Duke Zhu Xiang can decide?"
Zhu Xiang said: "Let's limit it to this year and next year. One and a half years is enough for your people to learn the planting method I teach. Before the harvest in autumn and winter next year, I guarantee that Qin and Dong'ou will not start a war."
Zhu Xiang smiled and said, "After all, I am the Lord of Changping of Qin and the governor of Wujun. I can still decide this matter."
King Dong'ou was shocked again: "Duke Zhu Xiang is actually the governor of Wu County?! Isn't the governor of Wu County General Li Mu?!"
Zhu Xiang had a strange expression on his face: "I came to Wu County to take over the post of county governor, and it has been several months."
No way? Is Dongou State so closed? They didn't even know that the governor of Wu County had been replaced
However, Dong'ou Capital and Wu County are separated by two mountains, so maybe they really don't have good information? Alas, so we need to develop sea transportation.
King Dong'ou asked excitedly, "Where will General Li Mu be transferred to?"
Zhu Xiang looked at King Dong'ou's excited expression and felt sympathy for him for a second.
"General Li Mu is the general who commands the border troops of the three counties of Southern Qin. He should not have concurrently served as the governor of Wu County." Zhu Xiang explained, "General Li Mu should still be stationed in Wu County to guard against the Chu army's southward advance."
King Dong’ou: “…” Are you sure that General Li Mu is on guard against the Chu army’s southward advance, rather than coming south every day to rob things
He even suspected that Li Mu was a Hu person. Why did he always rob and run away? He heard that only the Hu people in the north would do this. Even the tribesmen in Xiou didn't eat in such an ugly way.
Although he was not being robbed and he had gained many benefits from the transaction with the Qin army, King Dong'ou was still a little worried.
"Are you relieved now?" Zhu Xiang said, "If you really don't agree, I won't force you. Alas, it's a pity for the land."
Seeing that Zhu Xiang was only obsessed with the arable land, the balance in his heart began to shift towards Zhu Xiang.
Zhu Xiang added: "If you agree, I can ask the Qin army to help build water conservancy projects."
King Dong'ou was so shocked that he couldn't close his mouth: "Is this really possible?"
Zhu Xiang said: "Qin and Dong'ou are neighbors. Now that Qin and Chu are at odds, we cannot exchange goods with Chu, but can only exchange goods with Dong'ou. Dong'ou is prosperous, and Wu County will be more prosperous."
Zhu Xiang sighed again and said, "I brought Qin cotton this time to exchange with Dong'ou. Dongzhu is good, but Qin wants to exchange it for military rations. Do you understand? Qin does not want to attack Dong'ou. If we attack Dong'ou, the Chu people will immediately go south. We just want to do business with you."
Zhu Xiang paused and said helplessly: "But Dong'ou doesn't have much to exchange with us now. This is why the King of Qin agreed to let me do this."
Although Zhu Xiang did not tell his friends about this, he did tell Qin Wangzhu.
Before leaving Xianyang, Zhu Xiang discussed the details of his trade war with Qin Wangzhu, and helping Dongou with farming was one of his plans.
At that time, King Zhu of Qin did not understand that after Dong'ou became powerful, it would be even more difficult for Qin to destroy Baiyue.
Zhu Xiang proposed that after the development of agricultural civilization in Dong'ou, many common people settled in the coastal plains, which was more conducive to the landing of the Qin army.
Dongou had no subordinate relationship with other Baiyue tribes. If Dongou had food, other Baiyue tribes would come to rob it, which would make it easier for them to cause internal strife.
The economic connection between Dong'ou and Qin State was increased, and it became easier for Qin State to digest this land after occupying Dong'ou.
If the King of Dong'ou was blinded by the small profits and agreed to my suggestion to let the Qin army help build water conservancy projects and guide farming...
"The common people of Dong'ou will be loyal to the Qin army." Zhu Xiang said, "Dong'ou does not regard farmers as common people, but as slaves. They are used to this kind of life, so if the Qin army goes south, they will obey the orders of the Dong'ou nobles and serve as soldiers."
"But what if we tell them there is another way of life? Tell them that if they become Qin people, they don't have to hand over all the food, leaving only a few rations for themselves, or even no rations at all?"
"No matter how bad the lives of the common people in Qin and the Central Plains are, they are still better than the lives of the Dongou people who were treated as serfs."
“I believe in the power of the people.”
After Zhu Xiang told Qin Wangzhu his suggestions, Qin Wangzhu was silent for a long time and then nodded in agreement.
"I believe in you, just go ahead and do it."
So if Li Mu and Wang Jian complained, Zhu Xiang believed that King Qin Zhu would not hit him on the head with a ruler.
I have already reported it!
Zhu Xiang offered such huge benefits, not only providing grain seeds and technical support to the Dong'ou Kingdom, but also asking the Qin army for help.
Even though King Dong'ou was worried that there might be problems behind this benefit, he couldn't help but be tempted.
The King of Dong'ou still had some sense, but after Li Mu sent people to spread the news of the discussion between Zhu Xiang and the King of Dong'ou, the King of Dong'ou could no longer suppress the requests of the nobles.
In a slave system, multiple nobles basically rule the country together, and the power of the monarch is greatly dispersed.
Just as there were feudal lords in the Central Plains, the King of Dong'ou also had great slave masters who owned armies and fiefdoms. Although they obeyed the orders of the King of Dong'ou, the King of Dong'ou could not completely control them.
If Zhu Xiang came with the Qin army to help them farm, and let the Qin army deepen business exchanges and cooperation with them, they would gain huge benefits.
They yearned for the treasures of the Central Plains, but because the Chu State cut off the road between Baiyue and the Central Plains, it was very difficult for them to obtain things from the Central Plains.
If they could make friends with the Qin State, they could go to the Central Plains under the escort of Qin warships to exchange for treasures. The nobles were very happy just thinking about it.
In addition, the arable land in the coastal plains has been basically divided up by them, and their power will be even stronger after the increase in production. They don't care about Qin's ambitions, they just take the benefits first.
All of King Dong'ou's hesitation was useless at this moment. If he did not agree with Zhu Xiang's proposal, he was afraid that someone else would take the position of King Dong'ou.
Faced with the huge benefits offered by Zhu Xiang, most of the nobles of Dongou Kingdom could not resist the temptation.
Wang Jian felt a chill in his heart when he saw that King Dong'ou was forced to hand over the guidance of agriculture and sericulture to Zhu Xiang, and also gave Zhu Xiang a lot of power and treasures.
He looked at Zhu Xiang carefully again.
Did Zhu Xiang foresee this happening? Was this an unintentional development or was it Zhu Xiang's plan
Did Zhu Xiang know that he would succeed before he did this? Not only that he would succeed, but he would also stir up conflict between the ruler and his ministers of Dong'ou
Although Zhu Xiang was his friend, he couldn't help but be slightly frightened by this scene.
Zhu Xiang got more than he wanted.
The King of Dong'ou not only agreed to let him bring the Qin army to help guide farmers in the coastal plains in planting, but also gave Zhu Xiang the power to directly give orders to the local people.
The power held by Zhu Xiang was the same power as that of the minister in charge of agriculture in Dong'ou State, not a penny less.
With the escort of the Qin army and the soldiers sent by the King of Dong'ou, Zhu Xiang even had his own military power, and had more power than the minister in charge of agriculture in Dong'ou State.
The governor of Wu County of Qin State could actually walk freely on the coastal plains of Dong'ou State. The Qin army was talking about it and they all admired Zhu Xianggong very much.
He is worthy of being the Changping Lord of our Qin State!
However, the King of Dong'ou also made some restrictions. Zhu Xiang could only move in the coastal plains and could not go to the hills and mountains. The coastal plains accounted for a small proportion of the area in Dong'ou, so the King of Dong'ou felt relieved.
Zhu Xiang shook his head.
The Qin navy gradually grew stronger, and only needed a landing platform to transport a large number of troops from the seaside to Dong'ou. Therefore, as long as the coastal plain was quickly taken, Baiyue would be gradually eroded.
The coastal plain is enough for the Qin army to be self-sufficient and slowly defeat the Baiyue.
Qin Shihuang paid a huge price to conquer Baiyue, but if he had taken the grain-producing areas of Baiyue as a stronghold earlier, it would have been much easier to conquer Baiyue. After conquering Baiyue, it would have been even easier to tame Baiyue by radiating outward from the coastal plains.
Zhu Xiang took a boat back to Wujun and informed Ying Xiaozheng.
Ying Xiaozheng was so frightened that he nearly tore off a few of his hair.
He jumped onto Zhu Xiang's back and hit Zhu Xiang's head: "Uncle! How many lives do you have? How many lives do you say you have! How could you do such a dangerous thing?"
"I told you it's not dangerous, it's really not dangerous." Zhu Xiang hunched his back and let Ying Xiaozheng pull his hair. "Look, the result is just as I expected..."
Ying Xiaozheng covered Zhu Xiang’s mouth directly and said, “Don’t listen, uncle, shut up!”
Xue Ji also looked pale.
However, after listening to Zhu Xiang's explanation, although she was worried, she also believed that Zhu Xiang had indeed made all the necessary preparations, and in turn persuaded Ying Xiaozheng not to worry.
Ying Xiaozheng rolled his eyes in anger.
Aunt, you trust uncle too much! That's why uncle likes adventure so much!
"Dong'ou is not an important place." Ying Xiaozheng said, "It won't be too late to take action slowly after annexing the Central Plains. Why should my uncle go and confront them now?"
Zhu Xiang said: "Since we are certain to attack Baiyue in the future, now that I am the governor of Wu County, I should make plans for the future."
Ying Xiaozheng gnashed his teeth and said, "I am the governor of Wu County."
Zhu Xiang smiled and touched Ying Xiaozheng's head: "So you also have to plan for the future."
Ying Xiaozheng snorted coldly: "In a barbarian land, there is no need to make many plans."
Zhu Xiang said: "Since you want this piece of land, you have to think about how to use it. Don't you want to spend many lives and money to conquer a piece of land, but the harvest is far less than the cost? Such a loss-making war will only make the country weaker and the people more alienated."
Ying Xiaozheng thought of the battles launched by the Great Ying Zheng in his dream, and asked uncertainly, "Really? Will we get weaker and weaker as we fight more?"
Zhu Xiang said: "Isn't this obvious?"
Ying Xiaozheng said: "But before... Now the Qin State is getting stronger and stronger with each battle."
Zhu Xiang said, "Because the land that Qin conquered is useful. Just imagine, if you were given a piece of land that was the same size as Qin, but it was all sand, no water, no grass, no people, not even an animal. Would it make sense to conquer such a land?"
Ying Xiaozheng shook his head.
Zhu Xiang touched Ying Xiaozheng's head again and said, "What is ostentation? Fighting a war without gain is ostentation, which will lead to the decline of the country. Look at the northern barbarians who come south every year. Why don't they alienate their subordinates because of their warlike aggression? Because they gain something every time they go south."
"Zheng'er, you will definitely be a powerful ruler who likes to expand territory in the future. Which piece of land is profitable to conquer and how to govern it after conquering it so as to make up for the war consumption as soon as possible are all things that a monarch needs to do."
"Only if you calculate all of this and make the country richer and richer, can you be considered a great ruler."
"Otherwise, it would be nothing more than a war of aggression, overdrawing national strength and accelerating the decline of the dynasty."
Ying Xiaozheng pondered for a while and nodded heavily: "Uncle, teach me!"
Zhu Xiang chuckled and said, "Aren't I teaching you?"
Ying Xiaozheng said: "I will fully support uncle in Dong'ou's affairs. Don't worry, uncle."
Zhu Xiang said: "Okay. But you also need to take care of your rest. I heard that you didn't want to take a nap and secretly hid the documents under the quilt..."
Ying Xiaozheng raised his hands and covered his ears.
My uncle is so annoying!
Why do people have to take a nap? Sleeping when the sun is high in the sky is too lazy and should be prohibited!
When I become the emperor, I will issue an edict that the Qin people are not allowed to take naps!
Xue Ji listened to Zhu Xiang muttering about Ying Xiaozheng and nodded continuously.
Yes, he should be trained well.
Ying Xiaozheng has grown up, and Xue Ji is no longer embarrassed to spank Ying Xiaozheng.
Originally, Xue Ji wanted to use a ruler, but Zhu Xiang told Xue Ji that at Ying Xiaozheng's age, it would be best not to beat him if possible, as it would make the child rebellious, so it would be better to just remind him more.
When it comes to how to educate children, Xue Ji always listens to Zhu Xiang's advice.
But seeing Ying Xiaozheng secretly correcting documents under the quilt, Xue Ji was so angry that she slapped Ying Xiaozheng's hands hard several times.
Instead of using a ruler, you can always use your hands, right
(End of this chapter)